Sign of the Beefcarver to close final location
After 70 years, Sign of the Beefcarver closing last remaining restaurant
Oct 25 will be the final time customers can pull up to Sign of the Beefcarver in Royal Oak and get a meal.
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - A staple restaurant in metro Detroit is closing its final location later this month.
Sign of the Beefcarver closing
Big picture view:
Sign of the Beefcarver along Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak is closing soon.
Timeline:
Sunday, Oct. 25, will be the last day diners can get a meal there.
The backstory:
The restaurant owners announced over the weekend that after 70 years, they were closing, partly because of high prices, and having never fully recovered from losses taken during COVID-19.
What they're saying:
"It is with very heavy hearts that we must inform you that we will be closing the last Sign of the Beefcarver restaurant on Sunday, October 25 after 70 years of continuous family-run operation," they wrote.
"Due to extreme financial pressure from rising food costs, not the least of which is the historically high price of roast beef, our menu namesake, we can no longer sustain the losses that have resulted. Ever since the government mandated shutdown from Covid, and the devastation that caused for operating a restaurant and attracting customers, Beefcarver has struggled to survive. Between the excessive food costs and the added burdens of onerous government policies, we can no longer absorb the excessive costs of operating and still offer our customers a desirable value proposition."
Sign of the Beefcarver employees
‘We love our customers’: Sign of the Beefcarver employee of 30 years
Levoy Garner, who has been an employee with Sign of the Beefcarver for 30 years, reflects on the restaurant and its legacy. The restaurant announced it’s closing its last location, in Royal Oak, after 70 years on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Dig deeper:
Some employees have been with the company for 50 years and are uncertain where to go from here.
We spoke with one employee, Levoy Garner, who has worked there for 30 years.
He said he knew business hadn’t been the same since COVID but was still shocked to learn the location was closing. He’s made connections with customers from all over the world.
He said employees are receiving some sort of service package, but that many will need additional help.
"It’s heartbreaking. I’m 50 years old; I still have a chance to go out there," he said, "but those people that have been there in the back behind the scenes have been working for so long and so hard, what about them? Where are they going to go? … It’s hard right now."
Garner said a GoFundMe has been started to help give some assistance to certain employees.
What they're saying:
"We love our customers. It’s not the pay; it’s never been about the pay. It’s been about the customers," Garner added.
"I’ve told my coworkers that it’s not going to be an easy ride this week. I know there’s going to be more tears to shed."
The Source: Information in this article was taken from a social media post made by the restaurant, and from remarks made in an interview with an employee of 30 years.