‘He built an icon.’ Midlands street dedicated in memory of late Zesto owner
For literally decades, the late Gus Manos was a fixture on 12th Street as an owner of the enduringly popular restaurant Zesto of West Columbia.
Now the street will be remembered in his honor for years to come.
Family members, West Columbia city leaders, members of the state Legislature, friends and others gathered on July 1 at West Columbia City Hall as a section of 12th Street in West Columbia and Cayce, from Jarvis Klapman Boulveard down to Knox Abbott Drive, was marked with signage deeming it Gus Manos Memorial Street.
Manos, who was an owner of Zesto of West Columbia for decades and a Springdale Town Councilman for 42 years, died in December 2025 at age 88.
Located at 504 12th Street since 1949, Zesto of West Columbia was purchased by Gus Manos and business partner Angelo Tsiantis in the early 1960s. Pete Manos, Gus’ son, became a co-owner in 1996, and continues to run the business today. The restaurant is well-known for its burgers, hot dogs, chicken and ice cream. Its iconic, towering sculpture of a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone has stood like a sentinel over 12th Street for decades.
At the July 1 street dedication, West Columbia Mayor Tem Miles noted how Gus Manos was a native of Greece who first came to the U.S. when he was 11 years old, later joining the U.S. Army and becoming a military police officer.
Miles said Gus Manos established high standards for customer service and community support across the decades at Zesto of West Columbia.
“When you go into Zesto, regardless of who’s there working, you know you are going to get great meal,” Miles said. “You can go get a great meal a bunch of places. But (at Zesto) you are going to have a clean restaurant. You are going to have a great staff. You are going to get great service.
“You are going to get all of those things each and every time, because there were standards that were established and put into place, and a man who built that business and made sure those things were put in order.”
State Rep. Micah Caskey and S.C. Sen. Russell Ott were among the state legislators in attendance, having helped gain state approval for Gus Manos Memorial Street. Caskey noted Gus Manos was key in developing Zesto of West Columbia into a restaurant that has been renowned across the Midlands.
“He built an icon,” Caskey said of Manos on July 1. “He grew an icon in the business community.”
Pete Manos, the current Zesto of West Columbia owner and Gus’ son, talked of how his father came to the U.S. from Greece at 11 years old. Gus didn’t yet know the English language when he arrived in America.
“He knew he had to do two things when he got to America,” Pete said. “He had to have integrity and he had to have a work ethic. He was looking for a community to accept him. I feel like West Columbia accepted him and cared about him and took him in.
“My father was a very generous person. The fact that this community took him in and accepted him made him generous for his whole life.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 12:07 PM.
