Restaurants/Food

Mergers/Acquisitions

Evans Vietnamese restaurant merges with similar Augusta eatery

A long-time Evans Vietnamese restaurant has closed its doors permanently and relocated to a similar restaurant in Augusta. Pho Bac located at 4300 Towne Centre Drive off Washington Road in Evans has moved to Pho Augusta Grill & Bar located at 4045 Jimmie Dyess Parkway, according to one of its employees. “We’ve been open for about two and half years, but we just merged together,” the employee said. She said she wasn’t sure why the owners of Pho Bac decided to merge the two eateries. Pho Augusta serves a variety

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Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Goolsby’s

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad and the tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”.

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Consumer Stories

Columbia County restaurant serves unique international dishes

If you’re bored with Taco Tuesday or need a place for this weekend for a date lunch or dinner, you might want to give Latin Flavor a try. The Martinez restaurant offers a wide range of Latin American dishes. Think Mexican cuisine with a bigger selection than a traditional Mexican restaurant. Latin Flavor located at 3568 River Watch Parkway opened in August 2022 and serves a variety of dishes from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Their menu includes a variety of soups and salads, empanadas, and sandwiches. Maria

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Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Oliviana’s

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday, he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review.” Food

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Consumer Stories

Columbia County to celebrate third annual Restaurant Week

Each year, the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and the Convention & Visitors Bureau hold a week-long event to celebrate the county’s eclectic eateries that serve everything from Mexican to Mediterranean cuisine. The third annual Restaurant Week will be held Monday, Jan. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 29, and applications are now being accepted. The deadline to apply is Friday, Jan. 13. Renee Meyer Dean and her family have already signed up to participate again this year. Meyer Dean, along with her parents and sister, own Red Oak Manor, which also

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Consumer Stories

Local Mexican restaurant expands with second location

A local Mexican restaurant has expanded by opening a second location in Augusta. Taqueria El Patron located near Applebee’s at 3107 Washington Road (see photo above) opened a second restaurant, Taqueria El Patron #2 at 3435 Wrightsboro Road, Suite 1130, next door to Great Chow Buffet & Grill last Wednesday, Dec. 21, according to one of its employees. “Business is slow because it just opened,” the employee said. Both locations serve a variety of dishes, including burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, and tacos. Taqueria El Patron #2 is open Monday through Wednesday

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Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Fat Man’s Café

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”. Food

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Consumer Stories

Former Aiken Golden Corral to be demolished, replaced with new Olive Garden location

In Aiken, a former buffet-style restaurant is being demolished to make room for a popular Italian eatery. Chaplin and Sons Clearing and Demolition in Augusta has been hired to tear down the former Golden Corral Buffet & Grill located at 2265 Whiskey Road near the Aiken Mall, according to a post from the company on LinkedIn. That building will be torn down and replaced with a new Olive Garden Italian Restaurant location. ABD reached out to Darden Restaurants, which operates many restaurant chains throughout the United States, including Olive Garden,

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Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Cracker Barrel

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”. Food

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Consumer Stories

Financial planner has a passion for competitive barbecue

When Kurt Mueller isn’t crunching numbers for clients at Apollon Wealth Management, you can probably find him flipping ribs on a smoker. “I know a lot about a little, including financial planning and barbecue,” he said. You don’t usually hear barbecue and talk of money in one sentence unless you own a restaurant that serves the South’s revered food of choice. “I fell in love with grilling as a kid when my dad taught me to grill on an old-school Weber, the kind found in just about everybody’s backyard. Then

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