The Donna's restaurant in Columbia will close on Sunday.
For years, one of the Donna's in Baltimore was a lunchtime staple for Mrs. HowChow, so it wasn't our place to go back for dinner. But it was a popular place with a nice menu, so it's a bummer to see them close.
Mark emailed me after hearing Friday from the staff that they had just been told that the restaurant would close this weekend. I called tonight and confirmed the news. Anyone know if something will replace the Donna's in the office building right near Rte 108 and Snowden River Parkway? Mark works in the building and wants a solid lunch with outdoor seating like Donna's.
Oh, boo. ;_; That was one of our favorite places. They certainly seemed to be doing well each time we went there. I wonder if the owner wanted to concentrate on having a couple locations within a closer area.
ReplyDelete~kam
I can't believe it. I love that place. Really good food. Discovered it last year with old neighbors. Went there whenever we met Columbia friends for dinner.
ReplyDeleteI used to go to Donna's a lot when they had the location in Clarksville - once that one closed hardly ever went to Columbia location. It just went off my radar & probably a lot of others radars as well.
ReplyDeleteI stopped by for coffee one morning and they weren't yet open for customers. To me, Donna's = coffee + food (that is their logo, no? a coffee mug?) Donna's, Cafe + Coffee + Bar, is their tag line. So, 9, 9:30 am and a coffee place isn't open for coffee. :-( Also, they didn't seem to innovate much. What made me love Donna's 10+ years ago didn't seem to have any oomph or vibe to feel fresh and current.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to hear that Donna's is closed. I was there a few weeks ago for dinner. The food was always good and friends enjoyed the cooking classes. I loved the wine tasting.
ReplyDeleteDonna,
ReplyDeleteREALLY a class act letting the employees have two days notice. I am sure you would appreciate that if an employee quit.
Pathetic.
I also made the mistake of thinking an eatery in an office building with "coffee" in its name, was open for breakfast. What a major faux pas! The woman made it clear to me that they weren't seating anyone until lunch, and her attitude made me not return. I hope a more welcoming restaurant opens in that spot, or maybe even an actual coffee house.
ReplyDeleteThe one and only time I went to the Columbia Donna's was when we can't get a seat at Victoria's Pub at a reasonable time. I was very disappointed with the food --- more so because Donna's was our go-to place when I worked at the UM Medical School in downtown Baltimore. That one was replaced by an Au Bon Pain some time ago, too.
ReplyDeleteDonna's in Columbia was our go-to place for a relaxing Saturday night dinner. The food was always outstanding (sometimes even transporting--a sweet potato torta I had there last year remains an all-time favorite food memory), and the live jazz could *almost* make us forget we were on the ground floor of a professional building in Columbia. Donna's will be missed!
ReplyDeleteDonna's was the place I grew up and always knew I had a spot on a bar stool. I don't think the owners know the devastating effects of uprooting such a tightly knit family of employees and customers.
ReplyDeleteWe were frequent customers mainly because we could bring our dog and enjoy the outdoor seating. In the past year or so we noticed a steady decline in the overall operation from service, menu and attitude and stopped going.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I have been going to Donna's for years, BUT WE WERE VERY UPSET TO HEAR THAT THE EMPLOYEES WERE GIVEN NOT MUCH NOTICE....We can all appreciate business and the lease for 10years didn't just come up last week...the owners knew many months in advance, that's how it works....So owner(s) if there is a next time discuss this with your employees UPFRONT...Let it be written, let it be done!
ReplyDeleteI will not be going to Cross Keys or Charles Village, unless Donna gives a complete explanation for treating staff in that manner.
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