Who had Columbia’s favorite burgers in The State’s poll? Meet the 2025 winner
It’s a burger tradition unlike any other.
Mack’s Cash Grocery, the small, locally owned restaurant that has been delighting customers for decades at 1809 Laurel St. in downtown Columbia, has been crowned the winner of The State’s 2025 Burger Poll. This marks the second time Mack’s has brought home the burger title in one of the paper’s polls, following its previous win in 2021.
The State asked readers to vote for their favorite burger place in the Midlands in the recent poll, which ran from July 7 to 13. There were 34 restaurants in the poll, and more than 5,700 votes were cast. In the end, Mack’s came away with 18% of the votes to grab the title. Main Street spot Transmission Arcade finished second with 12% of the votes, while Cayce’s The Kingsman finished third with 7%.
Mack’s has long been a favorite on Laurel Street, where it sits just across the street from the city’s main fire station. It’s a classic Southern breakfast and lunch spot, with burgers available throughout the day, and other hallmark greasy spoon favorites such as hot dogs, chicken strips, homemade chicken salad sandwiches, onion rings and more dotting the menu.
Manager Susan Looney has worked at Mack’s for 30 years. She’s an instantly familiar face to regular customers, typically commanding the cash register during busy lunch rushes. It’s a role that’s part restaurant manager, part traffic cop, as she takes payments, organizes trays piled high with burgers, fries and more, takes call-in orders and generally keeps the line moving smoothly. The task is not exactly an easy one, as it’s common to see the lunchtime line snaking along the front counter, down the rear hallway and out the back door of the restaurant.
Stepping into Mack’s during a busy lunch rush is something like opening a time capsule. The dark, wood-paneled walls are lined with posters and paintings that commemorate various glories of the University of South Carolina football team, including the Big Thursday match-ups of yesteryear against rival Clemson.
There are political cartoons from various eras, including one by Robert Arial that marked Hurricane Hugo in 1989. There are newspaper clippings on the wall, as well as mementos of people who have been involved in the business through the years. That includes an obituary for one of the owners — Clyde Calhoun Patrick III, lovingly known as “LC” to friends and family — who passed in 2023.
And there are the regular Mack’s customers who cram into the restaurant at lunchtime, a veritable tapestry of Columbia. There are construction workers and office dwellers, utility linemen and firefighters from across the street. Everyone looks comfortable, like they’ve been coming here since they were kids. In a sense, it is home.
Looney said Mack’s was thrilled that customers took the time to vote in the recent burger poll and lift them to another victory.
“It means everything,” Looney said. “It shows that they are loyal. There’s other places they could go, but they choose us. We are just very grateful.”
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
