Rosie O’Grady’s owner closes bar with plans to redevelop popular Ferndale site
The owner of Rosie O’Grady’s, a popular downtown Ferndale bar and restaurant, closed the establishment over the weekend and aims to redevelop the property in the city’s central business district.
In a Saturday evening post on Facebook, the restaurant owners said the establishment would be closing for good, and said “staffing shortages” were “in part” to blame for the closure, and hinted that a redevelopment of the property could be in the works.
“It’s been a good ride and unfortunately, Tomorrow, June 27, will be Rosie’s Last Call,” reads the Facebook post, in part. “We can’t say enough about this great community of ours. We appreciate the people that have graced us with their patronage. We’re sorry for such short notice it’s mostly due in part to ongoing staffing shortages. So if you decide to come out or order carryout please be patient with us.”
The restaurant owners added in the post that they are “hard at work reimaging (sic) the corner of 9 (Mile Road) & Allen (Street, where Rosie O’Grady’s is located) so please stay tuned.”
Brian Kramer, president and CEO of Kramer Restaurant Group LLC, which owns Rosie O’Grady’s and nearby Pop’s for Italian and One-Eyed Betty’s, did not respond to multiple requests for further comment Monday.
Kramer has already been before Ferndale’s planning commission for an “informal discussion” regarding plans to redevelop the property at 279 W. Nine Mile Road to have two ground-floor restaurant spaces with 10 apartments on a second story, according to Jordan Twardy, community and economic development director for the city of Ferndale. Kramer will go back to the planning commission for a formal vote on the proposed project on July 21, according to Twardy.
Plans for the proposed redevelopment were reported earlier Monday by the Daily Tribune.
Kramer’s group earlier this year acquired bar/restaurants Public House and Antihero, which are also on Nine Mile Road in Ferndale.
Since the beginning of the year, Kramer’s One Eyed-Betty’s has been operating out of the Rosie O’Grady’s space while its 75 W. Troy St. space was undergoing renovations, according to Eater Detroit. One Eyed-Betty’s is expected to reopen in the coming weeks, the publication reported, citing a server at Rosie O’Grady’s.
The specific levels of staffing at the Kramer group of Ferndale restaurants and bars was unclear.
The restaurant labor shortage has lingered even as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and capacity and masking limits have been lifted. As Crain’s reported earlier this month, restaurant workers increasingly have bargaining power in driving up wages in an industry known for paying minimum wage, making workers dependent on customer tips.
Posted By: Crain’s Detroit Business on June 28, 2021. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
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