FORT MILL TOWNSHIP -- Fishbone Grille, a seafood restaurant anchored near the intersection of S.C. 160 and Gold Hill Road, has closed its doors after six years.
Owner Nick Economos, a Fort Mill resident, said the economy, high fuel prices and the recent gas shortage created "the perfect storm" that led to his decision. He said business dropped off by about 15 percent over the summer and didn't recover.
Economos said he tried cutbacks and other adjustments to cope with the drop in sales. But when high gas prices hit the area in September, sales dropped by 40 percent in one week, he said.
"People just quit coming," Economos said. "I don't know why. People just got scared with their 401(k), and during that time it was just bad news, bad news, bad news. Stock market dropped like a rock, and here we couldn't get gas. That was everyone's first priority. It added to the anxiety."
It was difficult to shut the restaurant down, Economos said, because he knows there was nothing wrong with either the food or the service.
Economos said he isn't sure what he'll do with the property, but he said he will not reopen Fishbone Grille. He's considering putting another restaurant on the property or selling it.
For now, he said, he's "waiting for the dust to settle" and fielding calls from dozens of people who want to know why the doors to Fishbone Grille are closed.
"It's just like in '92. It's the economy, stupid," Economos said. "People were shocked that we were closing but not as shocked as we were to see business deteriorate so fast."
Customers haven't seen the last of Economos, he said.
Economos and his wife own Captain's Galley Seafood in Rock Hill. Any customers with valid gift certificates to Fishbone Grille can bring them to Captain's Galley to have them honored or redeemed, he said. Economos said he plans to bring in some of his favorite foods from Fishbone Grille as specials on the Captain's Galley menu.
