Full tilt: Bang Back gets closer to opening in Columbia’s former Rockaway space
For more than two years, the building at 2719 Rosewood Drive in Columbia — once home to venerable Rockaway Athletic Club restaurant and bar — has sat in silence.
But soon the space will be filled with the sounds of pinball and arcade games, and the laughter and revelry of diners and bar patrons.
Bang Back Bar & Grill, which will be a second location of the Bang Back Pinball Lounge that has been popular in Five Points the last six years, is coming soon at the former Rockaway space on Rosewood. Rockaway closed in January of 2024.
On Friday, Bang Back owner Fred Richardson and other restaurant officials and local leaders held a dedication for the coming Rosewood Drive spot. While an exact opening date for the Rosewood Bang Back location hasn’t been announced, Richardson said Friday that he has a “very aggressive goal” to be open by the end of June.
Part of Friday’s dedication at the coming Rosewood Bang Back included an introduction of a Wall of Fame. The inaugural honoree on that wall was the late Marc Mandeltort.
Mandeltort, who died in 2021, was the founder of Marco Specialties, the Lexington County business that is thought to be the world’s foremost supplier and manufacturer of pinball machine parts and accessories. A plaque in Mandeltort’s honor, unveiled at the Rosewood restaurant Friday, noted he “believed pinball was a beautiful world under glass that brought people together and created joy across generations.”
Richardson said Mandeltort was very influential to him, sharing his love of pinball and encouraging Richardson’s passion for the game.
“Marc was such an integral part of really growing pinball, not just here but worldwide,” Richardson said, later adding, “For me, the reason Bang Back is here is Marc Mandeltort.”
Richardson said the Rosewood Bang Back location will be a place for food, community and fun.
“We are here for pinball, we are here for the community,” Richardson said Friday. “We are here to have great times and be a place where you can come and celebrate or mourn or cry. Whatever you’ve got going on in your life, you can leave the baggage at the door and come on in and have fun.”
The food menu at the Five Points Bang Back location includes burgers, sandwiches, tacos, nachos, hot dogs, appetizers and more. It also offers a full bar with beer, wine and other drinks. Richardson said Friday that the menu at the Rosewood location will have similarities to the one in Five Points, but will be expanded to add entrées and dinners. He also mentioned that he is working with local bakery Sour & Salt for the breads for the restaurant.
“This will be much more restaurant-driven, with the food,” Richardson said of the coming Rosewood location. “That’s what people want. We need a neighborhood restaurant over here. ... It’s a family restaurant, food-driven.”
As for games, Richardson said the new Bang back will have 12 to 14 pinball machines. Some machines were already on-site Friday, including Star Wars, Godzilla and Foo Fighters units. The restaurant also will have arcade video games, Skee-Ball and other types of amusements.
This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 6:00 AM.
