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Zesto's in Forest Acres, a long-standing part of the community, will close its doors later this month.

The city confirmed the long-rumored closure Monday night in a Facebook post, announcing that the restaurant would shut down by the end of the month as owner Walt Hallman prepares for retirement.

“We are sad to share the rumors are true,” the post read. “From the food, to the ice cream treats to maybe even your first job as a kid… Zesto’s in Forest Acres has always been like an old friend to welcome you home.”

Zesto was a place where people made life long memories — from first dates to first jobs, and family gatherings. Many longtime visitors, like Johnathan and Nancy Simmons, saw the restaurant as a welcoming space, with employees treating regulars like family. The Simmons, who have been visiting the Forest Acres location for over a decade, said they would miss not only the food but also the people they’d come to know over the years.

“We love the food, but we really love the people who work here,” Nancy Simmons said. “They did a tremendous job staffing this place. Everyone is always so welcoming and helpful. The workers, from the cash register to the cooks, really made this place special for us.”

Hallman’s retirement marks the end of an era for the restaurant, which had been a community staple for many years.

“My family loves this place. It was a constant for us for all these years. No matter what we were up to, no matter how things were going, you would find our family here,” said Jessica, a Forest Acres resident. “We absolutely adore this place.”

Though the Forest Acres location is closing, Zesto’s will continue to operate at its West Columbia and North Main Street locations.

Pete Manos, owner of Zesto in West Columbia, has known Hallman since childhood, when Hallman worked for his father. As the West Columbia location prepares to begin its 76th year, Manos is hopeful that Forest Acres customers will visit his restaurant.

“I hope people discover us (the West Columbia location) who maybe didn’t know about us,” Manos said. “It’s not far away, so I’d love to see those people come our way and see what our brand in West Columbia is all about.”

In its farewell post, the City of Forest Acres expressed appreciation for Hallman and the restaurant’s role in the community. “We wish him well and say, thanks for the memories,” the post concluded.

Community reflects on decades of memories as the iconic restaurant prepares to close.

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FOREST ACRES, S.C. — A long-standing Forest Acres institution is closing its doors for good after more than seven decades of serving comfort food to generations of loyal customers.

Zesto's, known for its iconic milkshakes and Zesto dogs, will close its location on Forest Drive sometime between Christmas and New Year's.

For many residents of the Midlands, the news is bittersweet, as the beloved restaurant has been a staple in the community since 1949.

Customers have expressed their sadness about the closure, reflecting on the many memories created at the restaurant.

Mary Phelin, a regular customer, said, "I am heartbroken I really am. I come here all the time. I’ve lived here since 1964, and this used to be like a special place to come, a real treat. There weren’t many restaurants back then."

RELATED: Zesto on Forest Drive set to close

While the owner, who plans to retire, was unavailable for comment, News 19 confirmed that the restaurant is expected to close soon.

Kelly Jones, another loyal customer, shared her sentiments: "It’s been here for so many years. I used to work over here in the office buildings, and I came here a lot for lunch. Today we actually got on the highway and turned around to come back over here. So it’s going to be greatly missed, food is very good."

Forest Acres City Councilman Stephen Oliver also expressed his disappointment over the closing. "It hurts. We always hate to lose businesses out of our city, especially one like Zesto’s where it is such a draw. Obviously, it's going to hurt our hospitality tax, but I don’t think we will have a problem filling the spot," Oliver said. "At this point, we will kind of get some community input, what people want to see in Forest Acres, and then we’ll reach out to the franchises or whatever and try to put them in touch with the property owner and kind of facilitate a new business coming in."

RELATED: Construction begins on $19M Columbia Water upgrade on North Trenholm Road in Forest Acres

For many, Zesto’s is irreplaceable. "They’re getting more and more dining options, but I don’t think anything can replace this Zesto’s at all," said Phelin.

Aunyka Moonan, a former resident of Forest Acres, reminisced about her time at Zesto's. "I used to live around the corner when I was in graduate school and then lived in Forest Acres for about twenty years, so we used to always come to Zesto’s. We moved away recently, but I heard it was closed, so we had to come say goodbye."

While Zesto’s on Forest Drive may be closing, residents can still enjoy its West Columbia location, which will remain open under different management.

Multiple people have reported problems with deliveries in their area.

FOREST ACRES, S.C. — Frustrated residents in Richland County and Forest Acres are sharing their issues with mail services in the area.

Many took to social media, saying they are either experiencing longer wait times for deliveries, receiving packages late at night, or not getting them at all.

“About four to five days after it says it's delivered I'll receive it or half the time I don’t even receive it and then one time the package was open after it was delayed," said Vicki Salas.

Salas, who lives on base on Fort Jackson, said she ordered items off Amazon and still has not received anything she bought two weeks ago. "It’s getting to the point where I don’t even like ordering packages anymore, and the post office said I should just file a claim with Amazon," she said.

While some went directly to the post office in Forest Acres for answers, others expressed their frustration online, claiming deliveries are delayed due to short staffing at U.S. Postal Service.

Others like Linda Oliver said her packages do come, but at unexpected times.

"It's very few days that I didn't get my mail which is very unusual and the mail often comes late but to be honest with you its not a major problem in my life and I don’t mind that much."

News19 reached out to USPS for answers. They did not directly address the specific concerns about delivery times in the area. However, they did speak to what residents should expect in the coming weeks in this this statement:

'Throughout the year and especially during the busy holiday season, the Postal Service strives to provide excellent service. We have decades of experience with the increased volume the holidays bring. At the Forest Acres Post Office, the staff is working to quickly deliver items as soon as they are received. Volume numbers are not available; however, we are taking steps to ensure we properly handle the increased holiday volume. This includes bringing in available resources, such as staffing, to assist with the workload. Regarding the time frame for delivery after items arrive at the office, customers who utilize our Informed Delivery app should note that mail and packages shown will be arriving as soon as possible. Regarding the priority for package delivery and mailed letters during the holiday season, all mail and packages are delivered as they are received. We are continually monitoring our operations to ensure the timely processing and delivery of mail and packages."

USPS adds anyone seeking more information on concerns are encouraged to use the mail package tracking app or call at 1-800-ASK-USPS.

A burgeoning chain that offers a “fresh Mex” menu has set an opening date for a Midlands location.

Surcheros, which has a number of locations in Georgia and Florida, will open a new restaurant at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10 at 4609 Forest Drive suite 2 in Forest Acres. That’s in the popular Cardinal Crossing mixed-use development. It will be the first Surcheros location in South Carolina.

“I am thrilled to bring Surcheros to South Carolina and share their high-quality offerings and exceptional hospitality with the greater Columbia area,” Surcheros Forest Acres owner Andrew Powell said in a statement. “Columbia has a dynamic community of families and students, and I look forward to establishing Surcheros as a favorite dining destination. It’s an honor to expand Surcheros into a new state, and we can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with friends, neighbors, and visitors.”

The first 100 customers who make a purchase at the Cardinal Crossing Surcheros on Dec. 10 will get free burritos for a year, the company said in a release.

The menu at Surcheros includes grilled burritos, quesadillas, tacos, nachos, salads, burrito bowls and more. The restaurant space in Forest Acres will be about 3,000 square feet, the company said.

Cardinal Crossing has continued to be a thriving commercial development in the heart of Forest Acres. It features a host of restaurants and businesses, including Nothing Bundt Cakes, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, Clean Juice, and more.

It’s in a high-traffic area, as more than 27,000 cars per day travel down Forest Drive, per the SC Department of Transportation.

Once it debuts, the Forest Acres Surcheros will open 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

This story was originally published November 21, 2024, 12:05 PM.

The State

Chris Trainor is a retail reporter for The State and has been working for newspapers in South Carolina for more than 20 years, including previous stops at the (Greenwood) Index-Journal and the (Columbia) Free Times. He is the winner of numerous South Carolina Press Association awards, including honors in column writing, government beat reporting, profile writing, food writing, business beat reporting, election coverage, social media and more.

The city said it's already moved ahead with the contract for developers to start working on the permitting.

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FOREST ACRES, S.C. — Tuesday night, council members in Forest Acres said things are ahead of schedule in the development project that will replace the Richland Mall.

News19 told and showed you preliminary drawings back in August of how local leaders said the former Richland Mall, at the intersection of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard, will be transformed.

The new space will feature an outdoor park, apartments, businesses, a grocery store and brewery.

Council members shared that demolition is set to wrap up towards the end of this year, with site remediation beginning in the spring.

"When they submit the plan development district to us, we'll kind of get into more finite details of what's going on over there. And then, obviously, we'll get some thought from us as council members, but we'll also give a lot of thought from the public as well to developers," Forest Acres councilman David Black said.

Things are pressing forward with Tuesday night's approval of a $2.5 million grant agreement with South Carolina Parks Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT) for the redevelopment.

"We've already moved ahead with the contract for them to start working on the permitting and the other aspects that'll be involving the creek restoration and stabilization of Penn Branch," Shaun Greenwood, Forest Acres city administrator said.

Forest Acres leaders said the creek, right next to the mall property, will now be highlighted.

"The park project has a creek restoration component to it," said Lynnsey Baker, Forest Acres public information officer. "Penn Branch Creek, a lot of people don't even realize was there behind the mall. It was actually covered up in a parking area of the mall and our hope is to help to bring that creek out into the public, make it an amenity of this park and make it a waterway that everyone can really enjoy."

Local businessmen like barber John Buckner are excited for the change.

"I think the actual open air and the brewery and having the up-to-date stuff will do better," Buckner said.

Greenwood said they're still in the hard design phase of the park, and a consultant will come next month to give a final draft of the master plan for approval.

Council said their goal is for contractors to begin building the park the same time they build the retail space. That process starting hopefully next year.

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