Citing Staff Shortages, Rosie O’Grady’s Abruptly Closes for Good

By midday Sunday, Rosie O’Grady’s in Ferndale was out of kombucha, White Claw, Stella Artois, and the Southern chicken.

The Ferndale spot was hours from its final last call. On Saturday night, the Irish pub had announced that it was closing for good the following day.

“It’s been a good ride and unfortunately, tomorrow June 27, will be Rosie’s Last Call,” a message on the pub’s Facebook page read. The social media message said the closing was “mostly due in part to ongoing staffing shortages.”

Since January, Rosie’s space at 279 W. Nine Mile has been occupied by sister restaurant One Eyed-Betty’s, whose spot across the way at 75 W. Troy has been closed for renovations. A server at Rosie O’Grady’s over the weekend said that One-Eyed Betty’s would be reopening in the next two weeks with new booths and new floors.

The moves at the two well-known restaurants owned by Brian Kramer’s Hometown Restaurant Group this year have frustrated diners, who have accused Kramer of social media stunts. On social media over the weekend, comments ranged from disappointment to disbelief that staffing issues had anything to do with the closing.

Rosie O’ Grady’s closure comes just two months after Hometown Restaurant Group purchased Public House and Antihero, also on W. Nine Mile. Kramer also owns Pop’s for Italian. All of the restaurants are a stone’s throw from each other in downtown Ferndale.

Monica Williams

This spring, Kramer appeared to be making plans for Rosie’s. The restaurateur submitted site plans and a request for a variance to the City of Ferndale for 279 W. Nine Mile. The plans, which mentioned an expansion of an outdoor patio at Rosie’s, were on the agenda at May’s zoning hearing board appeals meeting but the application was tabled at Kramer’s request. Kramer didn’t respond to Eater’s request for comment. He appeared before the commission earlier this month, to outline his proposal for two restaurants on the first floor of the building and residential apartments on the second. “I think Brian [Kramer] is still working out what the restaurant concepts will be,” Jordan Twardy, director of community and economic development, told the Royal Oak Tribune. Kramer is scheduled to reappear before the Planning Commission on July 21, Twardy told the Tribune.

Rosie O’Grady’s had been a staple in Ferndale for more than 40 years, with its high-energy event nights. Its Southgate location closed in 2017 and its Chesterfield pub shut in 2019.

• Ferndale’s One-Eyed Betty’s renovation closure triggers a firestorm of angry comments [Detroit Free Press]
• All One-Eyed Betty’s coverage [ED]