Anticipated mac & cheese chain slated for Columbus no longer opening location; here’s why

Photo via Keystone's Mac Shack's Facebook

Looks like we’ll have to stick to some boxed Kraft Mac & Cheese for the time being.

Keystone’s Mac Shack, which announced they were opening in Columbus over a year ago at the Gateway Development on campus at 1619 N. High St., has officially called it quits at that space. Yup, before it even opened.

The fast-growing concept with roots in Cincinnati halted their opening process mainly due to costs. Managing Partner Dan Cronican explained, “4EG decided to not move forward on the project due to excessive increases in the cost to build within the space.”

Also, Cronican said there were better opportunities presented. “This, coupled with concurring opportunities in other markets that projected to be more favorable, led to the decision to pull out. We still view Columbus and the campus area of Ohio State University to be an attractive market but the deal we had in front of us just wasn’t the right one at the right time.”

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The anticipation around Keystone’s opening was mainly due to their music-inspired mac and cheese dishes, including the Pink Floyd (topped with bacon and caramelized onions), the Powerhouse (topped with Buffalo chicken, stout-braised brisket, and jalapeños with crumbled bleu cheese and Keystone chips) and the Fleetwood Mac (topped with mozzarella, pesto and tomatoes).

We’re sad to see them go before they’ve even arrived, but excited to see who will take over the space, especially with Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s as their neighbors.

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