A growing brunch chain to open in former Yesterdays space in Columbia’s Five Points
A corner of Columbia’s Five Points neighborhood that has been darkened since the exit of an iconic restaurant in 2020 is set to get new life courtesy of a brunch spot.
Ruby Sunshine, part of a chain of brunch restaurants that has expanded across the South, is coming to the Devine Street space in Five Points that was formerly home to Yesterdays Restaurant and Tavern for more than four decades.
A listing on the store locator tool on Ruby Sunshine’s website shows the Five Points location as “Opening Summer 2023.” A company spokesperson confirmed Ruby Sunshine’s plans in a Monday afternoon email.
Yesterdays, which was located at the nexus of Devine Street, Harden Street and Santee Avenue in Five Points, became an iconic restaurant in the long-running shopping and nightlife district during the course of more than four decades. It was known for its country cooking and unassuming bar, along with the mannequin cowboy in a bathtub above the front door.
The restaurant and tavern officially closed in April 2020, amid the doldrums of the first year of the pandemic. It had been in business for 43 years.
Now the location is set for a new life with Ruby Sunshine, a restaurant that, along with its sister restaurant Ruby Slipper, has been growing across the Southeast. There are locations in Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
On its website, the company touts the hashtag #thatbrunchlife, and offers a paean to the meal.
“At the intersection of culture, community, cravings and cocktails is a pastime that for decades has lived rent free in our minds and souls: Brunch,” the Ruby Sunshine website says. “At Ruby Slipper & Ruby Sunshine, we believe in brunch. No, we’re crazy about brunch. Obsessed, actually. OK, you’re right...We live for it.”
The Post and Courier first reported Ruby Sunshine was planning a Five Points location.
The restaurant’s menu features a deep roster of pancakes, French toast, eggs Benedict dishes, sandwiches, omelets, cocktails and more.
Five Points Association board chairman Steve Cook, who owns Saluda’s restaurant in Five Points, was pleased to see a new restaurant heading for the former Yesterdays space.
“I think it could be a good fit for the neighborhood,” Cook said. “We want restaurants and good businesses.”
The Ruby Sunshine plans come amid a yearlong series of announcements and developments that have seemed to signal a rebirth in Five Points.
The district has welcomed a number of new restaurant and retail shops in 2022, including Japanese eatery FuruSato Bento, The Turning Pointe dancewear store, Botanica de Santee clothing and gift shop, Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint, the Falafel King restaurant, Swiff Luxury streetwear store, Gameday Nutrition, Orangetheory Fitness, and the Flying Biscuit restaurant. Acai bowl and smoothie chain Cocobowlz announced in September it would be coming to 2015 Devine St.
And in July, the Boyd Foundation and GrowCo announced a new tech incubator hub at 711 Saluda Ave., in the former White Mule live music space. The Boyd Foundation has donated $1 million to get that hub up and running.
In September, the Five Points Association, which represents merchants in the district, named Heather McDonald as its new executive director. McDonald has a long history in marketing and nonprofit work in the Midlands.
This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 11:44 AM.
