Ten years ago there was a moment in time that every mother remembers. The son, University of South Carolina business graduate and in a white collar job, turned to his mother and declared that he wanted to open an Oyster Bar. Just like that. No experience, not a day of working in a restaurant (except a little bartending in College).

 

The son traveled to his hometown in North Carolina to consult with the owners of the Sunnyside Oyster Bar. The son and the mother had grown up in the little town, famous for this eating establishment that has been there now for 75 years. The concept of the Sunnyside was the goal; patrons gathered around a bar, the shuckers shucking raw and steamed oysters and that was that. Lots of fun. No frills. They eventually added steamed shrimp to the menu and went from brown bagging to a beer license.

 

Now present day, once a week, a giant silver truck pulls up in the middle of Park Street at any random time of day or night, and Big John shows up from the Gulf Coast with giant 110 lb burlap bags of fresh oysters. He is very proud of his cargo and is always smiling when he carts those fresh oysters thru the front door.

The doors opened in October 2001 officially. The menu: simply oysters and shrimp. The cocktail sauce, now famous in its own right, made fresh daily is served with it’s own little twist, WARM!

 

Today that menu has expanded to include items as scallops, crawfish, crablegs, and clams, but they are coupled with local comfort foods such as Adluh Grits smothered with shrimp and cheese and bacon, along with a variety of soups. So the son’s dream became a reality. His idea has grown into an iconic venue in Columbia’s Historic Vista. With local “shucker’s” in the back taking care of all your seafood needs while the mother up front always greeting people with a smile, a name formed when one of the shuckers once asked, “Where is the Mother Shucker?” The name stuck and now the mother will ways be The Mother Shucker!

 

So, every night the food is fresh, the sauce is warm, the butter is melted and the drinks are cold! Headed into the tenth year of business, and after many requests for our sauce, it is now a reality! The son welcomes you and thanks you for helping that dream come true. So Invite Mother Shucker into your kitchen and take home a jar today! Also don’t forget to visit The Oyster Bar-Columbia, “The Pearl of the Vista”!