Magnolia’s at 26th has closed its Myrtle Beach buffet, while the family that built the restaurant is preparing a separate café in Conway. The two developments share a family history, but they involve different businesses and different ways of serving a Southern meal.
The buffet at 2605 N. Ocean Boulevard closed September 9. Founder Bobby Anderson and his family had sold the restaurant in December 2025, according to WMBF and reporting by The Sun News.
Anderson’s daughter, Michelle Sturzenbecker, told local reporters that the family’s next project is Magnolia’s Cafe at 6017 Highway 701 North in Conway. The planned fall opening did not include a firm date.
The family’s next meal is a meat-and-three
The Conway café will serve meat-and-three meals, with fried chicken planned daily and a rotating featured meat. That carries some of Magnolia’s Southern cooking into a new setting, with a plated meal replacing the buffet’s all-you-can-eat format.
The location is closer to Anderson Farms, the family farm that supplied produce for the Myrtle Beach restaurant. The family also plans to bring along Anderson’s familiar circular table, a small piece of continuity for customers who knew him at the old restaurant.
Magnolia’s farm connection was part of its appeal well before the closure. A 2023 Visit Myrtle Beach feature described seasonal produce from Anderson Farms, including collards, butter beans, squash and okra. Staff served guests their requested portions cafeteria-style, with repeat helpings part of the meal.
The restaurant’s history reaches back beyond its approximately two decades at the Ocean Boulevard location. The Sun News traced an earlier chapter to a basement coffee shop in the Anderson Inn’s Magnolia building. When the hotel was replaced by the Anderson Ocean Club, the restaurant moved above ground.
The beachfront property has a separate future. The Sun News reported that land records identified the purchaser as 26th & Ocean LLC and that a different restaurant concept was expected, with details not yet disclosed. A closure of the Magnolia’s buffet does not establish a permanent closure of the building.
