Highlands, the sky-high restaurant crowning Detroit’s Renaissance Center, is sticking around longer than many expected. The fine-dining spot will stay open through May 2027, giving Detroiters more than a year to book skyline dinners, proposals and weddings before the lights go out at the top of the RenCen. The Shawn McClain–led steakhouse has been a signature presence since it opened in late 2019, just ahead of the pandemic. Its extended timeline lands as the RenCen heads into a massive, multi-billion-dollar overhaul that is expected to reshape the riverfront.
Owner Announces Long Closing Timeline
Chef and owner Shawn McClain announced today that Highlands will keep taking dinner reservations, private event bookings and wedding inquiries through May 2027, with the restaurant’s calendar now open for the next 16 months, as reported by The Detroit News. The generous runway lets regulars and event planners lock in dates before the restaurant’s top-floor dining rooms go dark. McClain framed the decision as a way to keep Highlands operating while the long-term future of the RenCen is sorted out.
Where Highlands Fits In RenCen History
Highlands occupies floors 71 and 72 of the central tower at 400 Renaissance Center and debuted in November 2019 as the successor to the long-running Coach Insignia, as reported by Eater Detroit. The restaurant’s booking and contact pages list packages for private dining and weddings on the 72nd floor, according to the Highlands Detroit website, keeping the high-altitude celebration theme very much on brand.
Redevelopment Plans Are Driving Timelines
Behind the scenes, the clock is ticking for the whole complex. General Motors and Bedrock are working on a roughly $1.6 billion plan to remake the RenCen site, a redevelopment that could include demolishing two towers and making major changes to the rest of the complex, a plan reported by AP News. That sweeping reimagining has triggered buyouts and negotiations with tenants across the property, which in turn are shaping how long restaurants like Highlands can stay put.
Other Tenants Are Making Their Own Plans
Highlands is not the only restaurant calculating its exit strategy. Joe Vicari, whose group operates Andiamo Riverfront and Joe Muer Seafood inside the RenCen, told The Detroit News that both concepts will remain in the complex through the end of 2026 while he either secures new locations or reaches settlements. Vicari has also announced a new Andiamo at the JW Marriott at Water Square, which Axios reported is slated to open in early 2027.
Reservations And Events
Highlands’ online booking portal and events page outline packages and contact details for private dining and wedding inquiries on the Highlands Detroit website. The restaurant says it will keep hosting large events through the newly announced end date, keeping the RenCen’s upper floors active even as plans for the building’s next chapter take shape, according to the Highlands Detroit site.
The extended timeline gives planners and diners a rare luxury in the restaurant world: time to adapt. That might mean locking in one last milestone celebration high above the city or starting the hunt for a new favorite riverfront backdrop. For now, Detroit’s skyline dining room atop the RenCen stays on the map through May 2027, a slow-motion farewell for one of the city’s most dramatic tables.
