Bobcat Bonnie's, a popular gastropub in Detroit's Corktown since 2015, has announced the closure of its flagship location on Michigan Avenue. This move follows a series of closures for the Bobcat Bonnie’s chain, including its Ypsilanti and Clinton Township locations last year, and the Wyandotte location in January, as cited by WXYZ.
In what appears to be a continual adjustment to a challenging restaurant industry, owner Matt Buskard expressed that the economy is currently forcing tough decisions. "Our incredible Corktown staff has known for a few weeks and several of them are moving to jobs in our Ferndale restaurant," Buskard advised, in a statement obtained by the Detroit Free Press. While the Corktown location is closing, the Ferndale and Lansing sites remain open.
The Corktown location, the original Bobcat Bonnie's establishment, has played a key role in the area's transformation over the past decade. "We’ve seen vacant buildings turn into hotels, apartments, and cool businesses! And most importantly we’ve seen the outstanding transformation of the train station,” Buskard reflected in a Facebook post, according to Deadline Detroit.
Buskard has discussed the challenges faced by the restaurant industry, including the impact of the pandemic and its ongoing effects, which have contributed to a decline in sales. He also noted that the economy has led to the closure, rebranding, or sale of other establishments, affecting the small business landscape. The closure is part of a strategy to refocus the remaining locations and attempt to rebuild the elements that initially made Bobcat Bonnie’s popular with its customers. "Our goal in the next few months is to re-create what was great about Bobcat Bonnie’s. By really focusing on the service, quality, and pricing we are going to usher in a new season of Bobcat, and slowly remind folks why they loved us," Buskard stated, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
