Chev’s Cafe in Muskegon Heights will serve its last plate of spaghetti and meatballs on Dec. 3, 2026, closing after two and a half years of honoring the memory of a beloved local football coach. Owner Mark Chiaverini said the decision came after mounting financial pressure finally caught up with the small restaurant he opened to carry on his father’s name.
A Tribute Restaurant Reaches Its Final Weeks
Chiaverini opened Chev’s Cafe on July 5, 2024, at 3314 Glade St. in Muskegon Heights, according to MLive.com. The cafe’s name paid tribute to his late father, Roger Chiaverini, known around town as “Coach Chev,” who spent many years as a well-known football coach in the Muskegon Area School District. Mark Chiaverini has said his family’s greatest mission in opening the restaurant was to honor his father, and that they invested their hearts, savings and sleepless nights into making it work.
Now, after 2.5 years serving Muskegon County, Chiaverini and his family have decided to close, per the same MLive account. He said the cafe faced immense challenges, including rising food costs, shifting economic landscapes and a steady decline in business. Those pressures ultimately outweighed what the family had poured into the small storefront.
Final Days, Final Meals
Chev’s Cafe remains open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday leading up to its last day on Dec. 3. Chiaverini has encouraged customers to stop by for a final meal, a goodbye hug, or to share a story remembering Coach Chev, and the family has said they hope to see their customers’ faces one last time before the doors close for good.
The cafe built a loyal following around homemade comfort food, including its spaghetti and meatballs and five-cheese lasagna. Inside, the space has featured a television, a free Pac-Man arcade game and a Superman mural painted by Chiaverini’s daughter, details that gave the small restaurant a distinct, family-built feel. Chiaverini has thanked Muskegon and Muskegon Heights for embracing the family and sharing community moments throughout the cafe’s run, saying that after the closing, the family will carry forward the pride in his father’s name and the memories made there.
A Tough Stretch for Muskegon-Area Restaurants
Chev’s Cafe’s closure fits into a broader pattern of churn in the local dining scene. The Muskegon area welcomed 12 new restaurants in 2025 while seven others closed, according to a separate MLive.com report. Among the openings were the Whisker Room, a nonprofit cat cafe at 926 Second St. in downtown Muskegon that opened in August 2025, and Love Café at 557 W. Western Ave., which celebrated its grand opening that September.
Rachel Gorman, president and CEO of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, has said consumers are being more conscious with their wallets amid broader economic uncertainty, as reported by FOX 17. That same station cited Commerce Institute figures showing nearly 20% of businesses fail in their first year, nearly 50% within five years and 65% within a decade, underscoring how steep the odds are for small operations like Chev’s Cafe.
Not every struggling Muskegon-area restaurant has met the same fate. North Muskegon owner Tresha Kidder nearly closed her business before reversing course and rebranding it as the Village Pub and Eatery, telling FOX 17, “Two weeks after I told them we were closing, I said, we’re going to stay open.” Kidder said COVID-19 and rising food prices had made it difficult to offer quality food at approachable prices, pressures similar to those Chiaverini cited in deciding to close Chev’s Cafe for good.
