Restaurant chain closes downtown location

Restaurant chain closes downtown location

Bagger Dave's says there are no freezers or microwaves in its kitchens. Photo by Mike Nichols

A restaurant chain has closed its doors downtown after three years in operation.

Bagger Dave’s Burger Tavern vacated its space in Grand Rapids, at 241 Fulton St. W, last week. The location is the third Bagger Dave’s to close in the region since 2015.

Mike Karel, district manager at the property management firm Eenhorn, said Eenhorn was informed of the closing a week beforehand.

Karel said the restaurant had been “struggling to take off.”

Bagger Dave’s, which had a 10-year lease at the location, approached Eenhorn for rent relief late last year, according to Karel.

“We never saw the restaurant full, so we had ideas that it wasn’t going well,” Karel said.

Bagger Dave’s could not be reached for comment prior to publication.

Eenhorn is working to fill the vacated space.

“We did start a long-term planning meeting for the space and the land along the river last fall,” Karel said. “We were deciding what future potential development could go there and what type of business needs to go there.

“The space already has restaurant facilities, so that would make the most sense for the short-term.”

Diversified Restaurant Holdings, the largest franchisee for Buffalo Wild Wings and creator of Bagger Dave's, recently completed its spinoff of Bagger Dave’s.

David Burke, Diversified's president and CEO, said the spinoff decision was “a significant milestone” for Diversified Restaurant Holdings and a “clean start” for Bagger Dave's. 

“We believe focusing resources on each business independently should create more opportunities for strengthened operational performance,” Burke said.

Bagger Dave’s has 18 locations, with 15 in Michigan, including two locations remaining in West Michigan: at 2190 E. Beltline Ave. NE in Grand Rapids and 2817 Kraft Ave. SE in Cascade Township.