Chick N’ Friends, the family-run soul-food favorite that has fed Columbia for decades, quietly served its last plates at Owen Brown Village Center last Saturday after roughly ten years at that storefront. The owners say they plan to resurface at Columbia Gateway in April as they hunt for a bigger, more visible home for the business.
Move confirmed by local reporting
According to The Baltimore Sun, Chick N’ Friends shut down its Owen Brown location last Saturday and is gearing up to relocate to Columbia Gateway, with a planned April relaunch. The paper notes that the Owen Brown spot had been open for about a decade and was one of the restaurant’s long-running Columbia outposts.
Owners say lease end, redevelopment forced the decision
On a fundraising page, the family explains that their lease is running out and the property is headed for redevelopment, a combination that pushed them to move. The GoFundMe sets a $31,772 goal to help cover relocation and build-out costs, and showed about $1,106 raised when the page went up. GoFundMe lays out the details in the owners’ own words.
A decades-old Columbia staple
“Today, more than 24 years later, Chick N’ Friends proudly stands as the longest-running family-owned and Black-owned restaurant in Columbia, Maryland,” the owners write on their fundraiser, adding that the business started in the Long Reach Village Center before shifting over to Owen Brown. The campaign frames the move as a way to keep the family operation alive while rents climb and redevelopment keeps reshaping shopping centers. GoFundMe includes the full statement.
When to expect the doors to open
The Baltimore Sun reports that the Columbia Gateway reopening is targeted for April, although the owners have not circled a specific date on the calendar. For the latest word on hours and reopening plans, customers can call the restaurant at 410-381-0555 or check the contact information posted online. Chick N’ Friends lists the phone number and current updates.
What the move means locally
The relocation underscores how long-running independent eateries can get squeezed when shopping centers change hands or redevelop. Review sites and neighborhood guides consistently praise Chick N’ Friends’ pressure-fried chicken and catfish, a reminder of what regulars feel they are losing when a reliable local counter disappears from the village center. TripAdvisor lists dozens of recent reviews giving high marks to the food.
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