A new Chick-fil-A, growing coffee shop are slated for this coming Columbia development
A pair of eateries — one well-known and another with a growing profile — are set to be part of a student housing development near the University of South Carolina’s basketball arena.
Chick-fil-A and Knowledge Perk Coffee Company will have locations at the under-construction Gateway 737 development. That’s located at Greene and Gadsden streets, just steps away from Colonial Life Arena.
Banners are hanging up at the Gateway 737 site touting that Chick-fil-A and Knowledge Perk will be a part of the project. The “amenities” page on the Gateway 737 website also note that the two restaurants will be located there.
“Chick-fil-A + Knowledge Perk Coffee Company are calling Gateway 737 home,” the banners at the site read. “You can too.”
The Gateway 737 project is a 940-bed student housing community being developed by Holder Properties and the University of South Carolina Development Foundation. Aside from the housing component it will feature 42,000 square feet of student meeting space and about 12,000 square feet for retail and restaurant space, along with a pool, fitness center and more. It is set to open in August 2025.
A partnership between Holder and the USC Development Founcation in the area near Colonial Life Arena is a familiar idea. The two also collaborated on the 650 Lincoln development along Lincoln Street, which also includes student housing and amenities, along with national brand restaurants and retail.
There are more than a dozen Chick-fil-A locations across the Midlands area, many of which have been extensively remodeled in recent years. The company — long known for its chicken sandwiches, nuggets, waffle fries and more — also has a location in USC’s on-campus Russell House.
Meanwhile, Knowledge Perk is a growing South Carolina coffee business with shops in Columbia, Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Myrtle Beach, and Spartanburg. The first Columbia location opened in May 2023 in the historic W.B. Smith Whaley House on Gervais Street.
