Bobcat Bonnie’s closes Ferndale location
Once boasting six restaurants, this chain has closed all but one within the past year
Audio By Carbonatix
[
{
"name": "GPT - Leaderboard - Inline - Content",
"component": "35519556",
"insertPoint": "5th",
"startingPoint": "3",
"requiredCountToDisplay": "3",
"maxInsertions": 100,
"adList": [
{
"adPreset": "LeaderboardInline"
}
]
}
]
Local restaurant chain Bobcat Bonnie’s has closed another one of its stores following months of financial turmoil.
In a “bittersweet” Facebook post published Sunday evening, the company announced that Monday will be the last day of business for its Ferndale location at 240 W. Nine Mile Rd.
“To our friends […] THANK YOU for 7 years of what I can only describe as a dream,” owner Matt Buskard wrote. “I am so lucky and so blessed to have been a part of such a great community.”
Buskard says the restaurant will open on Monday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. or supplies run out, with all drinks priced at $5. Cash is preferred, he says.
On Tuesday, the restaurant will be selling its furniture, tableware, glassware, artwork, and other items.
“It has been a pleasure to serve you all,” the message continued. “Thank you so much.”
In March, Bobcat Bonnie’s closed its flagship Corktown location after 10 years in business. Shortly after, plant-based pop-up Street Beet announced it would open a brick-and-mortar in the space.
Bobcat Bonnie’s expanded with locations in Wyandotte, Ypsilanti, Clinton Township, and Grand Rapids, though they all have closed within the past year as well. Buskard also briefly owned Ferndale’s Fly Trap diner and the former M Brew bar and arcade, which he renamed Scout.
The company also scrapped plans to expand Bobcat Bonnie’s to Kalamazoo and Toledo. A Lansing location is the chain’s remaining store.
Last year, Bobcat Bonnie’s workers went on strike, alleging bounced paychecks.
In a now deleted Facebook post published last week, Buskard said it had become difficult to run a small business in recent years due to increased costs and sought a partner to help with bookkeeping and finances.
