Charleston will soon be getting a new ramen restaurant.
California-based Jinya Ramen Bar has signed a lease to open its first Charleston location at Morrison Yard, according to Carolina Retail Experts, who represented the landlord in the deal.
The new location will be brought by an established franchisee, William Chen, who operates several Atlanta-area restaurants for the chain. This will be the second South Carolina Jinya Ramen Bar. Another location in Hilton Head is franchised separately.
This expansion is part of a larger plan to grow Jinya from its existing 50-odd units to more than 200 in the next ten years, as announced earlier in 2023. That growth will be focused in the Southeast, so customers can expect more store announcements across Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina and Texas.
Founder Tomo Takahashi first founded the restaurant in Tokyo in 2000, bringing the first Jinya to the US in 2010. His concept has become popular for its authentic Japanese-inspired ramen offered with English menus and ingredient options that make it appealing to a wide variety of American consumers. Over the years, the menu has expanded to include small plates, rice bowls, curry, salads and mini tacos.
Morrison Yard is a new mixed-use development from The Keith Corporation, Origin Development Partners, and Mixson Properties. Construction began in 2020, with the most recent phase delivered in March of this year. When complete, the property will boast a 10-story office building with 138,000 square feet of office space, 380 apartment homes, over 40,000 square feet of street-level retail space, a hotel, and luxury residences.
No timeline has been announced for the opening of the Morrison Yard Jinya Ramen Bar.
