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Pizza & wings, anyone? New spots for each will be in this coming Columbia-area retail hub

A Little Caesars pizza place and a Wingstop restaurant are coming to the in-development Market at Spears Creek shopping center at 185 Earth Road in Elgin, near northeast Columbia.
A Little Caesars pizza place and a Wingstop restaurant are coming to the in-development Market at Spears Creek shopping center at 185 Earth Road in Elgin, near northeast Columbia. chtrainor@thestate.com

A pair of new restaurants are coming to a new shopping center that is in development on a busy road near northeast Columbia.

A Little Caesars pizza place and a Wingstop chicken spot will open in the coming Market at Spears Creek shopping center at 185 Earth Road in Elgin, near northeast Columbia. That shopping complex, which is in the late stages of development, will be anchored by a Publix grocery store.

The new retail hub is at the corner of Spears Creek Church Road and Earth Road. That’s near the popular Woodcreek Farms neighborhood, less than a mile east of Clemson Road.

Opening dates for the Little Caesars and Wingstop restaurants have not been publicly announced. Signage has gone up in the complex for both eateries, and construction work was ongoing when a reporter briefly stopped by on Tuesday morning. The Little Caesars has a banner announcing it is hiring for the location, with a message noting that those interested in applying can text “LCPIZZA” to 803-373-9679.

There also has not yet been announcement regarding an opening date for the neighboring Publix, though the project appeared to be in the final stages of development as of Tuesday morning. It is listed as “coming soon” on the Publix website. The State left a message for Publix officials on Tuesday. The grocery store was initially announced in August 2022.

There are more than 2,200 Wingstop restaurants across the U.S., per data website ScrapeHero. There are a half dozen locations across the Midlands, including a recently opened outpost at 736 W. Main St. in Lexington.

Meanwhile, there are more than 4,000 Little Caesars restaurants in the U.S., per ScrapeHero, including a number of storefronts across Richland and Lexington counties. The company is known for, among other things, its pizza and its Crazy Bread breadsticks.

Chris Trainor
The State
Chris Trainor is a retail reporter for The State and has been working for newspapers in South Carolina for more than 21 years, including previous stops at the (Greenwood) Index-Journal and the (Columbia) Free Times. He is the winner of a host of South Carolina Press Association awards, including honors in column writing, government beat reporting, profile writing, food writing, business beat reporting, election coverage, social media and more.
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