A growing restaurant brand is headed to Columbia’s BullStreet District. What to know
A growing restaurant chain has set its sights on Columbia’s BullStreet District.
Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar, which has more than a dozen restaurants in states across the U.S., will open a location at 2151 Boyce St. in the BullStreet District, franchisee Ellis Farr told The State on Monday. Farr, who is partnering with Jake Wells in bringing Shuckin’ Shack to Columbia, said an opening date for the restaurant is not yet available, as the project is still in the early stages.
“We are excited to get the word out that we have signed the lease at the BullStreet District,” Farr said.
Farr and Wells initially announced in January that they intended to open a Shuckin’ Shack in Columbia, but at that time they were still looking for locations. Farr said he thinks BullStreet will be the perfect spot to introduce the brand to Columbia.
“It’s an up and coming area,” Farr said. “We’ve already got the Columbia Fireflies there. It’s generating a lot of excitement and I think it’s a great development. We feel like it is a great location because it is convenient to the Midlands. It’s right near I-126, it’s convenient to the northeast, it’s convenient from downtown.”
Shuckin’ Shack will be adjacent to Segra Park, on the ground floor of the Bennet at BullStreet apartment development, Farr noted. Segra Park is home to the Columbia Fireflies minor league baseball team.
There are currently 17 Shuckin’ Shack restaurants open across six states, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Illinois and Florida, with more coming soon. South Carolina locations include Easley, Greenville, Summerville and West Ashley. The company was founded in 2007 in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, and started franchising opportunities in 2014.
The menu at Shuckin’ Shack includes, as you would imagine, a variety of oysters, including on the half-shell, steamed and char grilled. It also offers shrimp, clams, snow crab legs, mussels, Low Country boil, wings, salads, lobster rolls and much more.
On its franchising website, Shuckin’ Shack notes the laid-back, casual vibes in its restaurants.
“We’re more flip-flops than cufflinks, but you can bet the quality of our sustainably-sourced domestic seafood beats even the most fancy-pants place in town…and we’re a hell of a lot more fun,” the company notes.
The city of Columbia and Greenville’s Hughes Development are in the midst of a long-term plan to overhaul the 181-acre former State Mental Hospital site at Bull Street.
The site is home to hundreds of apartments and residences, with more under construction, as well as the Columbia Fireflies, a Starbucks, an REI outdoor store, a Publico restaurant, the Iron Hill Brewery, and a host of professional offices, among other uses. The University of South Carolina also is planning a $300 million medical school campus on the northeast side of the BullStreet property. Popular Greenville coffee brand Methodical Coffee also has announced it is planning a shop at BullStreet.
