Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles to close one of its Columbia locations. Here’s when

An acclaimed local restaurant chain is set to close one of its locations.

Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles, which has several locations, will close its restaurant at 1260 Bower Parkway in Columbia’s Harbison shopping district, according to a Thursday post on the company’s Instagram page. The final day of service at the Bower Parkway spot will be Sunday, June 28, Kiki’s said on social media.

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The Bower Parkway Kiki’s has been open for eight years. It is located right next door to the Regal Columbiana Grande movie theater. In its Thursday social media post, Kiki’s said it has been “deeply grateful” to serve customers on Bower Parkway.

The company said it also has been taking to heart the feedback it receives from customers at its various locations.

“Over the past several months, we have listened closely to the feedback many of you have shared regarding the service and overall dining experience at our locations,” Kiki’s said on Instagram. “We take great pride in the quality of our food and the hospitality we provide, and we recognize that we have not consistently met the high standards that our customers expect and deserve.

“We appreciate those of you who took the time to share your honest feedback, as it has helped guide this difficult decision.”

While the Bower Parkway location is bidding farewell, the Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles locations on Parklane Road in Columbia, in the Gather COLA food hall in the BullStreet District and on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston will all remain open, the company said on social media.

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“While closing a location is never easy, we believe the best path forward is to focus our time, resources and attention on strengthening our remaining restaurants,” Kiki’s said on social media. “By doing so, we can continue improving the quality, consistency and experience across our brand while ensuring we deliver the level of excellence that Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles is known for.”

Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles first opened in Columbia in 2012. The Parklane Road location through the years has been a stop for political luminaries such as Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

And Kiki’s has earned awards acclaim. In 2024, owners Kitwanda “Kiki” Cyrus and Tyrone Cyrus were semifinalists for Best Chef – Southeast at the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards.

But the announcement of the coming Bower Parkway closure was not the first bit of challenging news for the restaurant company in 2026.

In February, Tyrone Cyrus was charged with four counts of tax evasion related to the business, South Carolina Department of Revenue officials said. Arrest warrants at the time alleged that, from 2018-2021, Tyrone Cyrus evaded approximately $231,701 in South Carolina sales tax at the restaurants, a February DOR release said. The case was still pending in the state court system as of Thursday

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