HopCat's Royal Oak location won't reopen, owner cites landlord issues

The Royal Oak location of beer-centric restaurant chain HopCat, open for just three years, will remain closed. 

Eater Detroit broke the news, and the Michigan-based restaurant group confirmed the closure on social media Wednesday. 

"Unfortunately, after extensive negotiation with the landlord — with the goal of securing the location and employee jobs — we were unable to come to a reasonable agreement and the landlord has demanded we vacate the building," says the Facebook post.

There is hope for a new HopCat in Royal Oak down the line "at some point in the future."

"So let's not say goodbye, let's just say 'until we meet again.'"

The 500-capacity, three-level bar and restaurant opened at 208 W. Fifth in Royal Oak in May of 2017. Owner Mark Sellers thought it would be good fit for downtown Royal Oak. 

“We’re not a total party bar, but we’re not a real high-end experience,” he told The Detroit News in 2017. “We’re more just for the regular person, but of course we focus only on craft beer, and that’s one thing that differentiates us from a lot of other pubs — no Bud, no Miller, no Coors.”

It's one of more than a dozen HopCat locations in the region; other area locations are in Midtown Detroit, Ann Arbor and East Lansing. Early on in the pandemic HopCat announced it would temporary close its restaurants. 

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Twitter: @melodybaetens