The Columbia Restaurant has one of the most storied businesses and families in Ybor City. In 1908, Manuel Garcia and his brother Ramon opened La Fonda sandwich shop on the 2100 block of Broadway (now Seventh Ave). Casimiro Hernandez partnered with Bautista Balbontin in a 60-seat saloon named Columbia next door to La Fonda. Patrons would drink at the saloon and then go next door to eat. When Prohibition hit, business turned sour for the saloon, and the two firms merged, calling itself the Columbia Café and Restaurant and run by Messrs. Garcia and Hernandez. Little did they know it would become Florida's oldest continuously run restaurant. In the late 1920s, the Florida land bust continued, the Great Depression took hold, and the restaurant was in turmoil. Casimiro turned the restaurant over to his son Casimiro Hernandez Jr. in 1930.

With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, a modernization of the restaurant, a new partnership, and air-conditioning, the Columbia pushed forward. Before the buildings were combined, a second-floor balcony on the west end served diners. It continued to grow and flourish. Casimiro Jr. was ill in 1953 and handed the eatery over to his daughter, Adela, and her husband, Cesar Gonzmart, who traded their professional touring music careers to become restaurateurs. Cesar continued playing, entertaining customers while managing the Columbia for many years. He was a tireless promoter of Ybor City and captained the restaurant until 1979. Richard, Ce­sar, and Adela’s son then took the lead. The fifth generation, including Richard’s daughter, Andrea Gonzmart Williams, and his nephew, Casey Gonzmart Jr., now work for the company.

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