Brittany Holloway-Brown/Eater
Tracking all the confirmed restaurant and bar closures since the pandemic began in March 2020
Countless restaurants and bars in southeast Michigan temporarily closed their doors in March as novel coronavirus cut through the region, closing dining rooms and cutting into profits. Some are just now beginning to reopen for takeout and delivery, or pivoting to become micro-markets selling groceries.
The financial pressures of the novel coronavirus coupled with the uncertainty of reopening — not to mention the challenges already facing local businesses prior to the pandemic — are forcing some owners to make the tough decisions. Many restaurants and bars will not return.
Below are the metro Detroit and greater southeast Michigan restaurants that have closed locations permanently following the novel coronavirus crisis. Know of a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, or bakery that should be added to this list? Send the details to detroit@eater.com.
The Detroit restaurants that shut their doors for good earlier this year, before COVID-19 was a factor, are here.
May 2020
ROYAL OAK — Hopcat is permanently closing its Royal Oak location after the company was unable to strike an agreement with the building landlord. The company temporarily closed all of its locations in March due to financial pressures from novel coronavirus, but had intended on returning to service at a regular date. Hopcat founder Mark Sellers told Eater in a statement that the restaurant chain intends to eventually reopen elsewhere in Royal Oak.
MILFORD — Lebanese restaurant Blue Grill has permanently closed after 8 years of business. In a May 22 post to Facebook, the restaurant cited the owner Dimitri Mansour’s passing in 2019 as a blow to the business that was compounded by the pandemic. “In many ways the restaurant business will never be the same as it was before March, 2020,” the Mansour family writes. “We did not know when we shut down as part of the shelter in place order that the doors of Blue Grill would never open again. Each day with expenses piling up and no revenue to meet these demands, we felt it. Hoping and strategizing to come up with ways that may allow us to rebuild and thrive, we just don’t see a way.” The restaurant will continue selling its dressings and marinades under the name Blue Grill Foods.
April 2020
ROYAL OAK — After 13 years of business, Town Tavern in Royal Oak will close permanently, the Daily Tribune reports. Owner Bill Roberts addressed the closure in an April 17 memo to the city requesting it return the restaurants $1,000 application liquor license fee for 2020 through 2021, since the business barely had the opportunity to use it before novel coronavirus ravaged the health of Michiganders and and the economy.
ANN ARBOR — Wilma’s, a restaurant that underwent a name change last year, announced on April 22 that it would close permanently. The business, operated by SavCo Hospitality, has lived under several different names at that address since 2011. The restaurant management writes in a post to Instagram: “Due to… well… you know what… we have made the very difficult decision to not reopen this location as a response to the times and feasibility of surviving reopening with all of the challenges we are facing. Exorbitant rent. Social distancing restrictions placed on restaurants. Seating restrictions. Massive debt growing daily.”
• How Coronavirus Is Impacting the Detroit Food and Beverage Industry [ED]
• All Closings Coverage [ED]
• All Coronavirus Coverage [E]
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