Bobcat Bonnie’s has closed its flagship location in Detroit — the latest in a spate of closures for the local chain.
“It breaks my heart to confirm that my flagship restaurant, Bobcat Bonnie’s Corktown, is closing immediately after a decade on Michigan Avenue,” owner Matt Buskard said in a statement, adding, “Please go out and support your neighborhood small businesses. Thank you Corktown for a great 10 years!”
Once boasting multiple restaurants in Michigan, Bobcat Bonnie’s has consolidated to locations in Ferndale and Lansing.
Buskard said most of the Corktown staff was offered jobs at the Ferndale location.
Bobcat Bonnie’s locations in Wyandotte, Ypsilanti, and Clinton Township all closed within the past year. A location in Grand Rapids also closed, though the chain said it is moving to a different location in the city.
Previously announced locations set for Kalamazoo and Toledo have not yet opened.
In recent years, Buskard also briefly owned the Fly Trap and the former M Brew in Ferndale.
In October, Bobcat Bonnie’s workers went on strike, alleging bounced paychecks.
Writing about the Corktown closure in a lengthier Facebook post, Buskard referenced financial challenges in the restaurant industry.
“It’s been a really rough few months for a lot of us out there, so as you choose where to spend your dollars, please I beg of you, choose to spend them locally,” he wrote. “I know our dollars are so precious right now — we are all feeling the pinch — so where you choose to spend them is so important now more than ever. Small businesses right now are all working overtime to try and win your dollar, so be conscious of who you’re choosing to spend those valuable dollars with.”
