Diners pack Sign of the Beefcarver ahead of restaurant's closing

After nearly 70 years, an iconic Metro Detroit restaurant is closing its doors.

The owners of Sign of the Beefcarver in Royal Oak made that announcement over the weekend.

At its height, there were 23 locations, including some in Chicago, but now the final and original location is shutting down operations at the end of the week.

A long line of customers wraps around the red brick building on Woodward Avenue on Tuesday, for one more chance to dine at Sign of the Beefcarver.

Restaurant vice president Joseph Joliet greets guests at the door.

He promises they won't run out of roast beef.

"We have ordered extra all week, and we're going to do our best to make sure that everybody has a very fond final memory of us," Joseph Joliet said.

Joliet's father, Jay Joliet, the company's CEO, checks in with staff and patrons at the register.

He explains what inspired his father to open the restaurant in 1957.

"He was trying to find a restaurant that was different than every other short-order restaurant. We fell onto the idea of a cafeteria style, but not a cafeteria, a beef buffet, and that's where this all started," Jay Joliet said.

While the restaurant has maintained the model and level of service over the years, "These are the original recipes from 57 years ago. Some have evolved. Some are, but the roast beef is roast beef, and it's been slow roasted since day one," Jay Joliet said.

The owners say attracting new consumers has been challenging.

"We tried to increase our social media marketing and presence. We tried to incorporate DoorDash delivery. We were cutting some of our costs and updating some of our expenses and that sort of thing, and we made a big improvement, but it just wasn't enough," Joseph Joliet said.

Joseph Joliet says since the COVID-19 shutdown, it's been hard to keep their head above water.

"We've never recovered to our customer turnout that we did before 2020, and every single cost on our balance sheet went up significantly since then," Joseph Joliet said.

He says the extreme financial pressure from rising food costs, including the historically high price of roast beef, has made the business unsustainable.

"We get updates from our suppliers multiple times a week, saying what the cost per pound is, and each of our roast beef rounds starts at 60 to 70 pounds. So, that is a very big, significant part of our food costs. But also, the milk is more expensive, the cheese is more expensive, the bread is more expensive. It is, it is all the things," Joseph Joliet said.

Since the announcement, there's been an overwhelming amount of support from the community.

"I wish that they would have started coming five years ago, but at the same time, some of the comments about people that worked here, people that their first job, they've been coming here since they were a child, and now they're in their 70s. It's absolutely heartwarming," Jay Joliet said.

And while Joseph Joliet is disappointed, he won't be able to pass along the business to his children.

"We used to eat at the Bloomfield location every Sunday after church growing up, and they won't have that tradition, and that's tough. But we have pictures and memories, and that's what we're going to be holding on to going forward," Joseph Joliet said.

A 70-year history is something they can all be proud of.

"It's very unusual for any business to last 70 years, let alone a restaurant. I think the lifespan of a restaurant is usually about three or four years," Jay Joliet said. 

A final message from the owner.

"Thank you, thank you to every customer, every employee, everybody's ever worked for us. I can't tell them how much I appreciate it," Jay Joliet said. 

Based on this turnout, the Metro Detroit area appreciates the Sign of the Beefcarver.

The Sign of the Beefcarver's final day is Sunday, Oct. 25.