COLUMBIA, S.C. — A familiar name in the Midlands’ dining scene is preparing to take over a prominent piece of Garner’s Ferry Road. Tacos Nayarit, the Columbia-born Mexican grill known for birria tacos and creative drinks, plans to open its third location at 7335 Garner’s Ferry Road, with a spring opening in sight.
The restaurant’s arrival will give new life to a property that had been associated with another food brand for decades. The site was formerly home to Columbia’s last remaining Shoney’s, which closed in August 2025. Juan Rivera, the owner of Tacos Nayarit, purchased the property two months later for $1.15 million, according to the source material.
A new chapter for a familiar site
For the Garner’s Ferry corridor, the planned restaurant represents more than another place to eat. The road is one of Columbia’s major thoroughfares, carrying more than 50,000 vehicles a day based on South Carolina Department of Transportation data. That steady flow of traffic places Tacos Nayarit’s next dining room in a highly visible location, about nine minutes down Interstate 77 from the company’s original restaurant on Percival Road.
Rivera has described the property as “a really good spot” and said he was looking forward to offering people in the Garner’s Ferry area “good food, real Mexican food.”
“a really good spot”
The move extends a business story that began on Percival Road and has since crossed the Congaree River. Tacos Nayarit opened a second location in Cayce in 2025, taking over a former bank building on Knox Abbott Drive. The company’s growth has followed a distinct local path: from its first Columbia restaurant to a neighboring Lexington County community, and now back into another major Columbia commercial corridor.
Expansion built around a local following
Tacos Nayarit has developed a devoted customer base through a menu and atmosphere that stand apart from more conventional Mexican restaurant formats. Its birria tacos, playful drinks and relaxed, upbeat setting have helped the brand earn what the source describes as a cult following in the Midlands. That reputation gives the Garner’s Ferry project an established audience before the doors open, while the new location could introduce the restaurant to residents who do not routinely travel to Percival Road or Cayce.
- Planned location: 7335 Garner’s Ferry Road in Columbia
- Previous occupant: Columbia’s last remaining Shoney’s
- Purchase price: $1.15 million
- Traffic setting: More than 50,000 vehicles daily, according to state transportation data
The restaurant’s planned opening also illustrates how a closed, familiar property can be repositioned for a new generation of customers. Shoney’s shut down in 2025, but the site will remain tied to dining and roadside commerce if Tacos Nayarit’s plans move forward. For residents along Garner’s Ferry Road, that means a recognizable building could soon carry a very different identity, shaped by regional Mexican food rather than the chain restaurant that previously occupied it.
Irmo remains part of the bigger plan
Rivera’s expansion ambitions extend beyond the third restaurant. Tacos Nayarit also has plans for an Irmo location, although progress there has continued to be delayed as new locations and other projects take priority. The Irmo project remains on the company’s horizon, the source reported, while the Garner’s Ferry restaurant moves ahead as the next major step.
That sequence underscores the pace and complications of growing a locally owned restaurant brand. Each new site brings the possibility of wider reach, but it also divides attention among properties, construction work and operating demands. For now, the company’s focus is centered on Garner’s Ferry, where a high-traffic address and a recently vacated restaurant property are set to meet Tacos Nayarit’s increasingly recognizable Columbia identity.
