Jillian’s restaurant and bar, the Vista crowd pleaser famous for dancing, games and live music, closed its doors for good as of January 22.
The popular restaurant and bar terminated its social media accounts and neglected to answer the phone or communicate via email beginning that Monday morning.
The spot was unique — suited not only to enjoying food and friends, but also to dancing and game nights.
“There’s not really a place like it in the Vista. I know a lot of people are going to lose somewhere they went weekly to hang out,” Spencer Jones, a fourth-year Russian student and an employee of Jillian’s since October 2015, said. “No bar really has pool tables, dancing, a game room. Nobody in the Vista at least has variety like Jillian’s did. And it just really was a fun place to be.”
USC students and Columbia residents have visited Jillian’s for almost 20 years — many of them to attend the weekly “shag nights” the restaurant hosted on Thursdays and Fridays.
“I hate to see Jillian’s closing!” Jacob Baltzegar, a second-year chemical engineering student, said. “My friends and I were always excited for shag on Thursday nights; we’d started going during the summer to keep in touch and it seemed to be even more popular with students once the fall semester began.”
Those employed by the establishment were given little warning that they would soon have to adapt to life without the job security that Jillian’s provided. Employees were notified of the closing on Sunday, the day before the doors were permanently shut. For those who worked at Jillian’s, the loss of a friendly group of coworkers added to the sad news of unemployment.
“The biggest thing I’m going miss about Jillian’s was the work staff that I worked with,” Jones said. “We’re all really a tight-knit group, and we constantly refer to each other as family, so it’s really gonna suck not working with them anymore.”
The unfortunate closure of the hangout leaves big shoes to fill in Columbia. Jillian’s had enormous personality and provided an interesting, unusual corner of nightlife. The premise of the business was original and charming, showcasing its Southern location and traditions — traditions such as good food and shag dancing.
“That was something genuinely ‘Southern,’” Baltzegar said. “I don’t think you see [that] in Columbia very often.”