A Tacos Nayarit restaurant is planned for 7335 Garners Ferry Road in Columbia, on land that used to hold a Shoney's. The planned location would give the Columbia-Cayce area a third spot, joining its locations on Percival Road and in Cayce.
The Garners Ferry Road site sits near Interstate 77, and the owners of Tacos Nayarit purchased the property, as reported in February by The State. That earlier report identified the buyer as Nayarit Investments LLC, with Tacos Nayarit owner Juan Rivera listed as the registered agent, and said the company closed on the former Shoney's property for $1.15 million at the end of October 2025.
The Shoney's that once operated there closed in August 2025, according to the Post and Courier. The old building has since been torn down to make way for the new restaurant, and at one point all that remained standing on the lot was the red-and-white highway sign, per the same account.
Why This Stretch Of Road Makes Sense For A Third Location
The former Shoney's property measures nearly 6,000 square feet and comes with ample parking, the Post and Courier's reporting noted. That kind of footprint, combined with the road it sits on, makes the location a logical bet for a growing chain. Garners Ferry Road sees more than 50,000 vehicles a day, according to state Department of Transportation data cited in the same report.
A listing from M.E. Contracting identifies the project at the Garners Ferry Road address and says groundbreaking is expected soon.
From A Percival Road Original To A Growing Local Chain
Tacos Nayarit has a primary location on Percival Road in Columbia and opened a location in Cayce at 1100 Knox Abbott Drive in April 2025, inside a building that previously housed a San Jose Mexican Restaurant.
With two locations already running and a third planned, Tacos Nayarit is positioning itself as one of the more visible homegrown taco operations in the Columbia and Cayce area.
