Chapin development will bring 6 eateries, a gym and more. Here’s what’s opening
The Chapin Commons development at 301 Columbia Avenue will have six new eateries in four different spaces to meet a variety of cravings. Think dessert, pasta, wings, steak and ... bacon.
With the restaurants, comes 120 available jobs at the development for waiters, butchers, chefs, baristas, bartenders and more. Happy Fork Hospitality Group, led by CEO Ron Pereira, is behind the development and the restaurant concepts.
Across from Chapin High School, the restaurants will include Orange Blossom Bakery and Modern Fresco in one space, Chophouse of Chapin and Deca Dessert Bar in another restaurant, BaKon and Chapin Sports Bar, according to the development group’s website. Also in the shopping center, HYDE Salon and MÜV Studio are expected to open this spring.
The development will have several outdoor patios for year-around seating, said Pereira.
To apply for one of the open positions at the shopping center, visit www.happy-fork.com and click “join our team.”
Here’s what will be available at the new restaurants:
Chophouse of Chapin
From the head chef and owner of Griffin Chophouse in Lexington, Chophouse of Chapin will be an expansion of the upscale steak restaurant. Head Chef Henry Griffin will lead the team at Chapin Commons and brings with him years of experience from Ristorante Divino and Kingsman Que and Brew, now known as Griffin Chophouse.
Chophouse of Chapin will have the same menu as Griffin Chophouse and offer the same signature tallow aged steaks, according to the Happy Fork website.
“Tallow aging is the process of coating our beef with in house hand churned beef butter then hand cutting steaks after 60 days of patiently aging them to perfection,” said the company.
Along with steaks, the restaurant will have a full bar and a wine sommelier that can pair your dishes with complementary wines. The restaurant is expected to open in April barring any supply-chain issues with construction, Pereira said.
Deca Dessert Bar
“All the dessert. All the time,” is the motto at Deca. Located inside Chophouse of Chapin, Deca, short for decadent, will be the dessert side of the restaurant.
Deca will have “adult milkshakes” and house-made desserts than can be served on either side of the restaurant, said Pereira.
Chophouse of Chapin and Deca will be the first restaurant to open in Chapin Commons, according to Pereira. Both concepts will be open evenings from 4 to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
Orange Blossom Bakery
Coming all the way from Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Orange Blossom Bakery is expanding to the Midlands and bringing its famous “Apple Uglies” with it.
In 1985, Doris and Allan Oakham, and Lillian Hundley converted the Orange Blossom Motel into a bakery. Fourteen years ago, Lisa and Charley Pereira bought the bakery, according to Orange Blossom website. This year, they decided to open a location in Chapin as part of a family business with brother Ron Pereira.
Orange Blossom’s signature item, the Apple Ugly, is a combination of fried donut dough mix and apples— a twist on an apple fritter. The bakery will occupy the same space as the health foods restaurant, Modern Fresco.
Modern Fresco
Modern Fresco will offer healthy options in a fast, casual, sit-down setting, or a drive-thru window.
Nutritional bowls will be the focus of the menu with healthy vegetables, grilled meats and grains all put together in one bowl. The restaurant will have healthy and sweet cravings with Orange Blossom Bakery opening in the same space.
Pereira said that modern dietary trends will be catered to with the Modern Fresco menu. Gluten free, keto, vegan and dairy free options will be clearly labeled on the menu.
“You can be on the run and still access your dietary trends,” Pereira said.
BaKon
If you want to eat bacon on everything, this might be the restaurant for you.
BaKon is a breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant that will offer dishes like candied bacon platters, biscuits, omelets, avocado toast, pancakes, and French toast charcuterie boards. Other Southern classic breakfast items will shape out the menu, according to the restaurant’s website.
For the full brunch experience, BaKon will offer bloody mary’s and flavored mimosa flight decks.
Chapin Sports Bar
What’s a new restaurant development without a sports bar? Chapin Sports Bar will offer the classic bar food favorites like burgers and wings.
The bar will host entertainment events like trivia nights and live music, according to the Happy Fork website. Sporting events will take center stage on televisions around the bar.
The restaurant will be one of the last to open in the shopping center, said Pereira and is in the beginning planning stages.
HYDE Salon
From the owner of Studio O2 hair salon in Columbia’s Vista, a new “comfortable luxury” salon will open at Chapin Commons this spring.
Lee Chamberlain is opening the salon to offer a closer location to her clients driving from Irmo and Chapin, she said. The salon will have 19 stations, two treatment rooms, a private basin area and an outdoor lounge.
“We will be a full service salon specializing in hair extensions, blonding and customized color services. Our team is highly educated in cutting, shaping and barbering, as well,” said Chamberlain.
In addition to salon services, HYDE will offer a custom extension bar where guests are encouraged to receive a complimentary consultation allowing them to experience the quality of the hair before committing, Chamberlain said.
MÜV Studio
MÜV Studio is a fitness franchise that offers cycling, barre, group exercise classes and personal training.
The full-body workout classes are designed to burn calories and torch fat for every fitness level, according to the company’s website. Tara Meekins, the national director for MÜV Training, will be opening the Chapin Commons location.
Other MÜV locations in the Midlands include gyms in Forest Acres, Lexington, Columbiana Point and West Columbia.
