Rochester Hills Pub Owner Bets on Oakland University Foot Traffic With

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A new pub is taking shape in Rochester Hills, and it's aiming to fill the former BURGRZ space at University Square Plaza with beer, burgers, and fish and chips by mid-October. Perk's Pub, the brainchild of local restaurateur Leonard Perkaj, is set to open at 3204 Walton Boulevard, just across the road from Oakland University's 1,441-acre campus.

According to WhatNow, Perkaj described Perk's Pub as an old-school, traditional bar, and said he and his brother Alfred have spent roughly one year and nine months planning the concept together. The menu is expected to include burgers, sandwiches, fish and chips, beers, and mixed drinks, all served at what Perkaj called reasonable prices. Perkaj already owns Half Day Cafe, a breakfast and lunch spot in the same shopping center that has served the area since 2010, according to the Oakland County Times.

The new pub will occupy the storefront once home to BURGRZ, a fast-casual restaurant that had operated at the University Square site since July 2010 before closing for good in late 2025, per HappyCow. Half Day Cafe's daytime focus means Perk's Pub will carve out a different niche in the same plaza, leaning into afternoon and late-night business rather than competing for the breakfast crowd.

City Officials Have Signed Off, But the State Still Needs to Weigh In

Local approvals for the project have moved briskly through Rochester Hills government this summer. The Rochester Hills Planning Commission reviewed the site plan and conditional-use application on June 16 and voted 7-0 to recommend approval, according to Citizen Portal. The Rochester Hills City Council followed on July 14 with a unanimous vote approving the conditional-use permit and recommending that the Michigan Liquor Control Commission approve transferring a Class C liquor license to Perks Pub LLC.

Per the same account, the city's Liquor License Technical Review Committee had already unanimously recommended approval before the matter reached the council. City application records specify that Perk's Pub is planned for 56 indoor seats, plus outdoor seating, and will operate from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. next Sunday through next Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Perkaj told WhatNow he's still waiting on the liquor license to clear its final step, and as of now, the business has no website or social media presence.

A Class C license in Michigan allows on-premises sale and consumption of beer, wine, mixed spirit drinks, and spirits, but it requires both a local legislative recommendation and final sign-off from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, according to a regulatory explainer from law firm Plunkett Cooney. Michigan also caps the number of on-premises liquor licenses available through a population-based quota system, adding another layer to the approval pipeline before any bar can pour its first drink.

A Built-In Crowd Right Across Walton Boulevard

University Square Shopping Plaza sits at the northwest corner of Walton Boulevard and Adams Road, anchored by Trader Joe's and rounded out by tenants including Jersey Mike's Subs, Kerby's Koney Island, and Cold Stone Creamery, per WhatNow's reporting. Oakland University, with annual enrollment exceeding 16,000 students, sits directly across Walton Boulevard, giving Perk's Pub a steady stream of potential customers within walking distance.

That location isn't without risk. Rochester Hills' dining scene has seen turnover this year: Detroit-founded brunch spot Dime Store closed its North Rochester Road location in May after two years, citing financial challenges, according to FOX 2 Detroit. The Detroit flagship remains open even as the suburban outpost shut down, a reminder that suburban locations can struggle even when a brand's home base thrives.

Perkaj is betting that reasonable pricing, an established local track record with Half Day Cafe, and Perk's Pub's proximity to campus foot traffic will help it avoid a similar fate. If the state liquor license transfer clears in time, Perk's Pub is on track to open its doors in mid-October.