Real Seafood Company to host grand opening

A seafood chain is opening a location in downtown Grand Rapids next week.

Mainstreet Ventures Restaurant Group at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, will host the public grand opening for Real Seafood Company, at 141 Lyon St. NW in Grand Rapids.

A ribbon cutting ceremony with the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce will be held at 4:30 p.m. the previous day and a private fundraising event benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation will follow at 5 p.m.

The fundraising event will include a three-course dinner paired with beer and wine. At the close of the evening, a “significant portion” of the proceeds will be donated to the Griffins Youth Foundation, the restaurant group said. Tickets, $175 per person, are available online.

“After seeing how supportive the community has been over the years of The Chop House and Palio, we couldn’t wait to add to our collection of restaurants here in town,” said Kevin Gudejko, president and CEO of Mainstreet Ventures Restaurant Group. “Grand Rapids is a wonderful city. Our General Manager Josh Baumann (was) born and raised here, and we look forward to providing memorable experiences for the residents.”

This is the fifth location of Real Seafood Company. The original opened in downtown Ann Arbor in 1975.

The Grand Rapids location will use fresh, sustainably sourced fish and high-quality shellfish primarily from the waters of New England, the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, according to Mainstreet Ventures.

Upon entering the restaurant, guests will be greeted with a 28-square-foot, hand-painted mural crafted by nationally renowned Saginaw artist Jim Perkins and a large, open-concept dining room with light oak wood surfaces and brass accents. The outdoor patio area is equipped with its own bar.

Real Seafood Company will begin with just dinner service, although lunch is coming soon, Mainstreet Ventures said.

Hours will be 4-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.