A Midlands Chick-fil-A has closed for a rebuild. Here’s when it hopes to reopen

A Chick-fil-A in a popular Columbia area shopping district has closed so that it can be demolished and a new version of the restaurant can be built on the site.

The Chick-fil-A at 294 Harbison Blvd. closed on May 19, per posts on its social media. While the chicken sandwich restaurant didn’t give an exact date when it would return, it appears the location will be closed for several months amid the rebuild, with a reopening targeted for the fall.

“It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later!,” the restaurant posted on Facebook. “As many of you know, (May 19) was our last day open, and it was very sentimental for our tight-knit family of hard workers. Farewell for now, Irmo. We cannot wait to serve this community with our brand new store in the fall. Stay tuned on our Facebook and Instagram for updates along the way!”

The Chick-fil-A in question is located along one of the Columbia area’s busiest retail corridors. It is across Harbison Boulevard from the Columbiana Centre mall, and is near a host of other restaurants, stores and services.

In 2021, the city of Columbia’s planning commission approved the demolition and reconstruction of the Chick-fil-A at 294 Harbison. Documents filed with the planning commission indicated the original 3,844-square-foot restaurant building on the site would be demolished to make way for a 4,345-square-foot building. There also would be a new multi-lane drive-thru on the property, no doubt a key addition at a site where customer car lines can be long in the popular shopping district.

There are more than a dozen Chick-fil-A restaurants in the Columbia and Lexington area. The nearest one to the Harbison Boulevard spot is inside the Columbiana Centre mall.

The chicken sandwich chain has continued to make moves in the Midlands. It recently opened a spot in growing Red Bank. Chick-fil-A also has plans to move its Decker Boulevard location to a spot on Two Notch Road.