Build-your-own mac and cheese restaurant is opening first SC location in Columbia
Not to be pigeon-holed as a side dish, macaroni and cheese is the star of a new restaurant opening in Columbia this month.
I Heart Mac & Cheese, a fast-casual chain with more than 100 locations across the country, will open its first South Carolina restaurant in northeast Columbia.
The restaurant specializes, as one might guess, in macaroni and cheese, with specials ranging from “lobster and white truffle mac” to Cuban-sandwich-inspired mac. You can have your choice served up in a bowl or on a grilled cheese sandwich. (Yes! A grilled mac and cheese sandwich!)
There are also options for building your own cheesy bowl or sandwich with a range of bases including pasta, quinoa, vegetables and tater tots plus a variety of cheeses, sauces and mix-ins ranging from pepperoni and chicken to pickles and jalapenos. There are vegan options, too.
The restaurant plans a grand opening on Sept. 22 with chances for customers to win free mac and cheese for a year, gift cards and a free order of “mac bites.”
Located just off Killian Road at 1031 Roberts Branch Parkway, Suite 202, the Columbia restaurant will be the chain’s first location in South Carolina. The nearest locations are in Augusta and Athens, Georgia.
This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 2:10 PM.
