TakoSushi closes downtown restaurant, claims building is unsafe. Landlord disagrees
TakoSushi, an Asian-Southwestern fusion restaurant, has closed its Assembly Street location in downtown Columbia.
In a message on its website, the restaurant cited unsafe building conditions as its reason for closing and suggested it could reopen in a new location.
“Unfortunately our Columbia store is permanently closed at its current location due to the severely deteriorating conditions of the building. We do not want to put our patrons safety at risk,” the restaurant says on its website. “Please follow us through our website and on social media for updates on the new location. We appreciate your support during this time of transition and look forward to serving you soon!”
The restaurant was located in a building owned by former Columbia City Councilman Jim Papadea and his family. Columbia’s famed artist Blue Sky recently painted a mural on the outside of the building, facing the intersection of Assembly and Gervais streets.
Papadea said he was aware of some water damage inside the kitchen area caused by leaky refrigeration but that it was the restaurant’s responsibility to fix that.
“They hadn’t really complained to me about it,” Papadea said. “As far as I know, the building’s in good shape. ... I don’t know why they left, because I thought they were doing terrific business.”
A call to the restaurant’s main phone number was unanswered Thursday morning.
TakoSushi, known for its funky menu with a wide variety of sushi rolls and Asian fare alongside Southwestern-style staples such as guacamole and quesadillas, has four other locations outside of Columbia, in Greenville, Aiken, Augusta and Evans, Georgia.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 10:30 AM.
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