Columbus was the No. 1 location for this restaurant chain. Now, it suddenly has closed
The Columbus location of a Mediterranean food chain has closed.
The Simple Greek at 1228 Broadway no longer is serving customers. A sign announcing their closing has been posted on their front door.
“Thank you for your support the last several years,” the handwritten note says. “We have enjoyed being part of this community.”
Their phone line also has been disconnected.
In 2019, the downtown Columbus location of The Simple Greek was the restaurant chain’s number one franchise out of all 35 locations in weekly sales and customer satisfaction. Now, their website shows seven locations across the United States, including the closed Columbus restaurant.
Columbus was the only location for The Simple Greek in Georgia. The remaining restaurants are open in Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana and Virginia. The corporate office is located in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The downtown Columbus location opened in 2018. The Simple Greek opened a second location in the Columbus area in 2019, at 6516 Kitten Lake Drive in Midland, but that location closed in 2021.
The closing of The Simple Greek in downtown Columbus comes as a surprise to customers. On Feb. 10, The Simple Greek Facebook page posted a Buy One, Get One free advertisement for Valentine’s Day. That was their last post before closing.
A customer commented on the Facebook post, “Have you guys closed down? I went today [and] the Broadway location was closed.” Page moderators did not respond.
The Simple Greek local and corporate management did not respond to requests by phone or email for comment. Uptown Columbus, the nonprofit organization that promotes the city’s downtown business district, also has not received a statement regarding The Simple Greek’s closing, said Ed Wolverton, president and CEO of Uptown Columbus.
Wolverton said the property owner, John Teeples, is working with prospects to help fill the vacancy. The Ledger-Enquirer did not reach Teeples before publication.
This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 12:08 PM.