ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Customers lined up around the building Tuesday at Sign of the Beefcarver in Royal Oak, eager for one last meal before the longtime Metro Detroit restaurant closes after Sunday.
The Woodward Avenue location is the last remaining restaurant in the local chain, ending a decades-long run that has become a fixture for generations of diners across Metro Detroit.
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“It really feels like a part of my childhood is leaving this week,” customer Joe Munem said.
The crowd began forming early Tuesday morning and remained steady throughout the day as customers shared memories of family dinners and traditions tied to the restaurant.
“I cried, really. I did,” customer Donna Pinazzo said. “I'm going to cry again.”
Others hoped the turnout could somehow change the restaurant’s fate.
“I’m hoping maybe this line shows that it really shouldn’t close,” customer Evan Peller said.
But owners say the surge of support came too late to offset years of financial challenges.
“We needed this response for the past couple of years,” said Joseph Joliat, the restaurant’s third-generation owner. “We haven't had the same kind of crowds that we had before 2020.”
Joliat said rising costs have made it increasingly difficult to keep the business running.
“The cost of beef is at an all-time high,” he said. “Taxes keep going up, insurance keeps going up, payroll keeps going up, and we just haven't had the crowds that can support that.”
His father, Jay Joliat, the company’s CEO, said the decision to close has been years in the making.
“The outpouring has been spectacular,” he said. “I just wish that all these folks that love Beefcarver would have been starting to come in here four or five years ago.”
Among those serving the steady stream of customers is LeVoy Garner, who has worked at the restaurant for 29 years.
“You see all these people out here? That's a wonderful thing,” Garner said.
Despite the emotional final week, Garner said he remains focused on serving customers.
“Right now it's all about my customers having a good time and enjoying themselves,” he said.
Many customers said they are saddened to see the restaurant close after roughly 70 years in business.
“We need it to stay running,” customer Tammy Liss said. “Seventy years isn't long enough.”
The restaurant’s final day of operation is Sunday. Owners said they are still determining the future of the building.
This story was adapted from a television news script with the assistance of AI and reviewed by newsroom staff before publication.
