Bobcat Bonnie's original Detroit location closes immediately in Corktown

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FOX 2 - Another Bobcat Bonnie's location is closing, with the announcement on Tuesday that the popular gastro pub's original site is closing its doors.

Bobcat Bonnie's is closing immediately at 1800 Michigan Avenue immediately after nearly 10 years of business. The Ferndale and Lansing locations will remain open.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of our original Bobcat Bonnie’s in Corktown," posted owner Matt Buskard on Facebook. "After almost a decade of service, we have had to make the toughest decision to close this location.

"This decision is heartbreaking, but we must make one based on where things are currently in the economy."

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He said that the majority of his Corktown staff have been retained and will work at the Ferndale location, with only a few exceptions of employees who he says were placed at jobs in the neighborhood.

In the past year, Bobcat Bonnie's has closed its Partridge Creek spot in Clinton Township and more recently the Wyandotte and Ypsilanti locations.

In a lengthy, emotional post, Buskard wrote about how numerous small businesses have had to close or rebrand, adding that in many ways the reverberations of the pandemic and impact on the economy is still being felt by owners.

"It can feel tough thinking that we survived the pandemic only to never really be able to recover over the longer term," he said. "Truly, this is never the situation I foresaw us ever being in- but this is where many of us are at."

With the rejuvenated Michigan Central Train Station, Buskard did mention the less than ideal timing with the area experiencing a rebirth.

"I want to be clear- Corktown is a magical neighborhood, that in the next 6-12 months as the train station opens more - will be a booming area downtown," he said. "We tried hard to stay as long as we could, to be a part of that boom, but at some point it becomes detrimental to your other businesses and that brings it’s own unique stressors."

The Corktown Bobcat Bonnie's location (photo from the Bobcat Bonnie's website).

More Bobcat Bonnie's coverage:

• Bobcat Bonnie's Partridge Creek restaurant closes, other locations remain open
• Bobcat Bonnies to close every restaurant for one week to give staff paid vacation
• Bobcat Bonnie's workers reach agreement with owner canceling emergency picket
• Bobcat Bonnie's permanently closes Ypsilanti location
• Bobcat Bonnie's launches membership program featuring 50% discount, other perks

Buskard wrote that the expansion of numerous locations also caused Bonnie's to "lose some of that magic and focus" while promising to be revitalized and refocused on the Ferndale, Lansing sites and a future Grand Rapids location.

"What’s next for Bobcat Bonnie’s is our renewed focus on getting back to who we were, and what our goals were," he said. "Thank you all for the decade of love, laughter, tears and support. You mean the world to us."