Kiki’s Chicken & Waffles opening second Midlands location

Columbia’s popular Kiki’s Chicken & Waffles restaurant is expanding to open its second location.

Kiki’s plans to open in the Columbiana Station shopping center on Bower Parkway, in the Harbison area, in the former HuHot Mongolian Grill location beside the Regal Columbiana Grande movie theater.

“We just knew that we needed it on that side of town,” owner Kiki Cyrus told The State. “A lot of our customers travel from that area and also Greenville and Spartanburg. It’s closer for them to come to that location.”

Kiki’s is known for its soul food and, primarily, its chicken and waffle dishes.

The Parklane Road restaurant is a “destination,” Cyrus said.

It opened in 2012, and its fame has grown beyond the Midlands. In recent years, the restaurant has welcomed Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. And last year, Cyrus was named a S.C. Chef Ambassador.

An opening date hasn’t been set for the new Harbison-area location.

The menu will stay the same at the new restaurant, but the new space will offer a room for private parties as well as outdoor seating, Cyrus said.

Kiki’s also serves inside the concourse at Colonial Life Arena for Gamecock basketball games and some concerts.