Cottontown restaurant in Columbia in danger of closing, it notifies customers

The War Mouth at 1209 Franklin St. in Columbia is in danger of shutting down due to slow business during the pandemic.

Co-owner Porter Barron Jr. posted Saturday on Instagram that the restaurant is “facing imminent closure.” The Cottontown restaurant is almost 5 years old and is known for its unique location in a renovated garage in the growing small business corridor of North Main Street.

“A few months ago, survival seemed possible, even likely. But as COVID-19 cases have soared, business has plummeted,” Barron said in the post.

Chef Rhett Elliot, the other owner and chef at The War Mouth, attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu and worked at restaurants in Richmond, Virginia, the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Charleston. In 2015, he started The War Mouth with childhood friend, Barron, to serve food “like what they grew up eating around here,” according to restaurant’s website.

In March, Barron recounts the restaurant adapting to the shifting precautions to combat COVID. In his post, Barron said managers worked tirelessly to set up online ordering, curbside pickup and meeting with experts to figure out safe ways for customers to eat indoors.

Barron said the restaurant team felt fortunate to have outdoor seating and a well-ventilated building, even going so far as to install an industrial exhaust fan in the dining room to bring fresh air inside through the garage door.

Yet, these measures have still not been enough.

Barron entreats customers in his post to consider The War Mouth’s outdoor seating, pick up services and mask policies when considering the restaurant. He leaves customers with the decision, “If The War Mouth is a place you value, we need your support.”

The post had almost 3,000 views at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

This story was originally published November 28, 2020 at 3:59 PM.