West Columbia restaurant’s ‘Go Cocks, Go E’Rolls’ sign is gone. What we know
The restaurant’s “Go Cocks, Go E’Rolls” sign is gone, but West Columbia’s Eggroll Station isn’t done just yet.
The sign, which greeted passersby with its locally beloved phrase for 30 years, had persisted at a lean of late at 135 Sunset Blvd. But restaurant co-owner Sherry Chen told The State that the sign was removed after it was damaged when a vehicle ran into it on the morning of May 16.
According to a police report, a member of the Eggroll Station team found the sign damaged and leaning over after hearing a loud bang while preparing for the day. The report states that the sign was “obviously struck by a vehicle.” A photo shared on Facebook shows the sign’s shattered marquee before it was taken down.
The sign coming down has caused confusion on social media, as the restaurant is slated to close soon. Chen told The State last year that the restaurant was set to shutter as part of a redevelopment project that will see the demolition of its building and the neighboring Capital Square shopping center, both of which sit across Sunset Boulevard from the city’s House of Raeford chicken plant.
Chen said that with the uncertainty around how long the restaurant will remain open, there are no plans to put the sign back up. Last July, Chen said they had been told they had about a year to a year and a half before they would need to vacate the space. Catching up with The State nearly a year later, she said she didn’t know an exact date for Eggroll Station’s closure or what will come next for the restaurant.
Baker Commercial Properties owns both Eggroll Station’s building and the vacant shopping center. The company plans to redevelop the property into a mixed-use development with residential, commercial and office space.
Eggroll Station is one of two fast and affordable longstanding Chinese restaurants in the Columbia area owned by the same family. While Chen and her husband have overseen the West Columbia spot since it opened in 1990, Chen’s brothers have Eggroll Chen at 715 Crowson Rd. in Columbia, in operation since 1984.
Until the recent accident, the West Columbia restaurant remained steadfast with the message on its marquee, continuing to proclaim it even as the location’s end drew nearer.
“The sign’s going down a little bit, but we haven’t changed it,” Chen said from behind the counter last year.
Eggroll Station is open Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4-5:30 p.m., except for Wednesday, when it closes at 3 p.m. and doesn’t reopen.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 11:37 AM.