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Charleston-based restaurants coming to Columbia

Staff Report //May 18, 2018//

Charleston-based restaurants coming to Columbia

Staff Report //May 18, 2018//

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Columbia will soon be home to two new Charleston-based restaurants.

Home Team BBQ has announced plans to open in the former Harper’s restaurant space at 700 Harden St., while a Halls Chophouse will replace The Oak Table at 1221 Main St.

The Home Team BBQ location will be the franchise’s fifth location and its largest at 6,500 square feet. The company currently operates three restaurants in Charleston and one in Aspen, Colo.

Charleston-based Home Team BBQ is moving into the former Harper's site in Five Points. (Photo/Travis Boland)“More than anything, we look forward to contributing to the Columbia community and embracing the spirit of the city,” Aaron Siegel, pitmaster and chief operating partner, said in a statement. “Harper’s was a family-friendly institution in Columbia for the last 27 years, and we hope to continue that legacy of service.”

A crew will work to outfit the restaurant during the next several months, according to a news release. The restaurant will offer lunch, dinner, brunch and late-night service, along with catering and to-go ordering. Live music and entertainment may be an option “down the road,” the release said.  

In February, plans for a Zaxby’s restaurant in the space were nixed because of concerns surrounding a drive-thru window.

Home Team BBQ, represented by Sean Litton of The Peninsula Co. in Charleston, signed a lease last week after reaching an agreement with William Bunch of Columbia’s Newmark Grubb Wilson Kibler.

Hall Management Group, which acquired The Oak Table from The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, said its newest chophouse will open Oct. 15.

“It’s a dream come true,” Bill Hall, chairman and CEO of Hall Management Group, said in a statement. “Our family and our management team wanted to have a restaurant in Columbia ever since we opened in Charleston 10 years ago.”

The restaurant, at the corner of Main and Gervais streets overlooking the statehouse, will be called Halls Chophouse, The Columbia Steakhouse. Hall Management Group has also leased the adjacent 4,500 square feet to develop for special events.

Indigo Road managing partner Steve Palmer said that company’s recent growth in cities such as Atlanta and Charlotte limited the resources it could devote to The Oak Table, which will close June 2.

“We are proud of the staff and what we have built in the past six years in Columbia and know that we are placing the restaurant in great hands with the talented leaders from Hall Management Group,” Palmer said.

The group also has Halls Chophouse locations in Charleston and Greenville.

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