Motorists on Route 462 travel across Veterans Memorial Bridge, over the Susquehanna River, between Columbia and Wrightsville, on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. The Wrights Ferry Bridge, background right, carries Route 30 over the Susquehanna River.
Blaine Shahan / LNP | LancasterOnline
Blaine Shahan / LNP | LancasterOnline
Motorists on Route 462 travel across Veterans Memorial Bridge, over the Susquehanna River, between Columbia and Wrightsville, on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. The Wrights Ferry Bridge, background right, carries Route 30 over the Susquehanna River.
A team from an online show about restaurants around the country debuted a segment on Wednesday, July 30, about a Columbia eatery that’s brimming with nostalgia and cheesesteaks.
America’s Best Restaurants, a marketing and media company that spotlights independent eateries around the U.S., filmed a 13-minute episode of “America’s Best Restaurants Roadshow” at Griddles Malt Shoppe, 315 Locust St., Columbia.
The segment debuted Wednesday on the show’s YouTube channel and other social media platforms.
In the episode, host Theo Williams visits the eatery that opened in May 2023 and is filled with Columbia-centric memorabilia such as team jackets and high school yearbooks.
“Just walking in here, you automatically get that 1950s soda-shop vibe,” Williams tells owner Fred Gerfin. “And then, on top of that, obviously, the dedication to the community is so palpable with all the uniforms and the jerseys and the pictures from the past. I mean, this is really a place that really encapsulates the history of Columbia.”
Gerfin tells Williams he wants the restaurant to spark memories for those who eat there.
The Griddles menu contains dishes with names that are spins on Columbia institutions. In the “Roadshow” episode, Williams samples Griddles’ “The Switcher” sandwich —a grilled-chipped-ham twist on the famous Columbia Shifter ham-and-cheese sandwich that was a favorite of local railroad workers nearly a century ago.
Williams also tries his first malted milkshake during the segment, along with the Opera House Omelet — a nod to Columbia’s 19th-century opera house building — that incorporates brioche French toast into the dish.
The segment also shows a Griddles specialty being made: Darryl’s Twisted Cheesesteak features onions, sweet peppers, banana peppers and dill pickles sauteed with seasoned ribeye steak and served on an Amoroso roll with mayo.
Last year, America’s Best Restaurants aired segments on Lickity Split in New Holland and The Houston Cafe in Gap.
Restaurants apply to be considered for a spot on “America’s Best Restaurants Roadshow,” and the company decides among the thousands that apply which eateries to feature.
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