CLAWSON, Mich. — After more than four decades in business, Perry’s Pizza in Clawson is preparing to close its doors for good.
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Owner Eric Isabelle says rising food and operational costs have made it increasingly difficult to keep the longtime pizza shop open.
“Everything I touch goes up in price, and it’s just not feasible anymore,” Isabelle said.
The decision is especially personal for Isabelle, whose history with Perry’s stretches back decades.
He first worked at the pizza shop when he was just 15 years old and has owned the business for the past nine years.
Now, he is preparing to say goodbye to a restaurant that has built a loyal following in the community.
“Thank you for everybody’s support over the years, over the last 40-some years and nine years that I have had it,” Isabelle said. “I can’t thank you enough and love you guys.”
That support has been especially evident since Isabelle announced the closure on Facebook. He says orders have been nonstop as customers try to get another taste of Perry’s before it closes.
“I love it, it means a lot,” Isabelle said. “I can’t thank everybody enough.”
Michigan restaurants face rising costs
Perry’s is not the only longtime local restaurant struggling with increasing expenses.
Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, says food costs have been increasing faster than overall inflation.
“Food costs have risen faster than inflation overall, and we all know that inflation has risen quite a bit over the last years,” Winslow explained.
At the same time, restaurants are operating on increasingly slim margins.
“The median restaurant has a profit level of 2.8%. That is razor thin, it’s very hard to make it,” Winslow said. “At any given time, about 40% of restaurants over the last year in Michigan are not profitable at all.”
The news about Perry’s comes as other longtime Metro Detroit restaurants close their doors.
Daly’s Drive-In in Livonia closed after 67 years in business, while Sign of the Beefcarver closed after nearly 70 years, citing rising beef prices and other operational costs.
For employees and customers who have watched these restaurants become community staples, the closures are difficult.
“It’s definitely heartbreaking to see that all of the family-owned places and places that have been here for so long are just being gone,” Daly’s employee Alexandra Pletzke said.
For Isabelle, the final days at Perry’s are bittersweet, but the outpouring of support from customers is making the goodbye a little easier.
Perry’s Pizza will remain open through Nov. 8.
