An iconic Midlands restaurant could reopen after abrupt closure. But where?
The rumors of Compton’s Kitchen’s demise may have been exaggerated.
The iconic West Columbia country breakfast and meat-and-three lunch spot did indeed close earlier this year — proclaiming on its website, “We Are Sorry To Announce That The RESTAURANT IS CLOSED!” But owner Asia Dove told The State that the closure might not be permanent.
Dove, who purchased the circa-1977 restaurant two years ago, emphasized that she is exploring several avenues to bring back Compton’s. And some of those paths could lead the restaurant to leave its longtime home at 1118 B Ave. in West Columbia’s Triangle City neighborhood.
“I’m thinking wider,” she said when asked if she was considering locations outside of West Columbia. “I want to make an informed decision about space, about parking, about access ... about (walkability). All of those things are a factor.
“I want ease of access. I want to be in an area that has diversity. And when I say diversity, I want to be clear to say diverse thinking, diverse shopping, diverse perspective, diverse palette, all those things encompassing that can impact a restaurant industry. So when I speak of diversity, I’m speaking to the diversity that specifically impacts restaurant industries and patrons and their habits.”
Turning to the point of access, Dove explained that parking has long been an issue, with the neighboring Sinclar Lodge owning Compton’s adjoining parking lot and the space between the road and the restaurant belonging partially to the state. This often made it difficult for the restaurant to provide a reliable place for its customers to park.
The neighborhood’s recent evolution, or lack thereof, is also a factor as Dove considers whether to stay there. Triangle City — named for the triple intersection of Meeting Street/Augusta Road/U.S. Highway 1, 12th Street and Charleston Highway (lorded over by the West Columbia Zesto and its giant ice cream cone) — is central to the city, with West Columbia’s City Hall sitting just down 12th Street, but it has thus far been largely ignored by the redevelopment wave that has transformed the city’s River District along State Street.
“I think there’s so many things that need to occur,” Dove said of the neighborhood, adding that it really needs “a change in perception, a change in how the community views change.”
The inability of some of her employees and customers to deal with change has likewise been a challenge, she said. She pointed to an employee who came in to find that the digital system through which the restaurant takes and receives orders had changed. They immediately walked “right out the door,” Dove said.
“I even had a customer come in, he said he hadn’t been there in about 10 years, but he was expecting the sausage to be exactly the same,” the owner recalled. “I said, ‘Well, that vendor is no longer in business.’”
Compton’s is as rooted in tradition as a local business could be, having served pretty much the same traditional Southern fare for four decades.
Perry Compton perfected his popular biscuits and opened the restaurant, initially on D Avenue, eventually moving it to its current spot. Martha Cooke, a manager at the restaurant for a decade, took over the business in 2000, before eventually selling to Dove in 2022, who had been looking for a business to buy.
Dove now owns the business and the Compton’s building on B Avenue.
Living up to the weight of the restaurant’s history has proved difficult in recent years, the owner explained, pointing to the way escalating food costs make it hard not to raise prices and the way those rising costs have impacted the vendors she depends on to keep the taste of the food consistent.
But she wants to bring Compton’s back if she can, whether that’s in West Columbia or somewhere else.
“I have not made a definitive decision about the future of Compton’s,” she said. “What I am doing is restructuring, rethinking and making decisions based on data.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2024 at 12:02 PM.
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