Columbia, SC (WLTX)- It was a busy Thursday afternoon in the Cross Hill Market area.
"This morning our entire parking lot was full and we only had about ten customers in here so we were a little worried about customer parking but just being who we are and trying to represent this area, I didn't want to keep them from parking here," said Jamie Putnal, General Manager of The Diner.
Their parking lot was full of people heading to the grand opening of Whole Foods in the Cross Hill Market. Putnal says he welcomes the extra traffic around the restaurant.
"We have been expecting the opening of Whole Foods to really boost our sales and with the amount of traffic in the area I see a lot of positive things coming from it," Putnal says their new neighbor is setting a new standard and the look of the area is drastically different that just one year ago. Surrounding businesses are working to keep up.
"We are planning on doing a lot more because of Whole Foods and to keep up with the look of the whole area. We don't want to look like we are a part of the past. We want to look like we are a part of the future and we plan on being here for awhile."
The Diner is located at 4405 Ft. Jackson Blvd.