GRAND RAPIDS, MI — HopCat, the popular restaurant and craft beer bar that started in Grand Rapids and eventually expanded to 17 locations throughout Michigan and the Midwest, has closed its Chicago restaurant.
Company spokesperson Joe Sonheim said the restaurant, which opened in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood in September 2016, was closed because it was not a “viable” location.
“This particular place in Chicago was simply not a good location for traffic,” he said. “If you look at it, there were several other restaurants that closed in that vicinity in the past recent months.”
HopCat announced the restaurant’s closure this afternoon on social media. It’s located at 2577 N. Clark St. Sonheim says HopCat does not plan to open another Chicago location.
Monday’s announcement marks the first time a HopCat has closed. The restaurant is known for its large selection of craft beer and Crack Fries, which were recently renamed Cosmik Fries.
Sonheim said HopCat “absolutely has no plans” to close any other locations. He said the restaurant’s locations in Michigan, in particular, “are very healthy right now and doing very well.”
In Michigan, HopCat has restaurants in Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Detroit, Royal Oak, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. A location in Holland, at 84 W. Eighth St., is expected to open in April.
HopCats are also located in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Lexington, Kentucky; Louisville, Kentucky; Lincoln, Nebraska; Madison, Wisconsin; and Port St. Lucie, Florida.
HopCat is part of Grand Rapids-based BarFly Ventures, which also owns Stella’s Lounge, Grand Rapids Brewing Company and The Waldron Public House.
The first HopCat, at 25 Ionia Ave. SW in downtown Grand Rapids, opened in 2008. The company has expanded steadily since then.
By 2015, the chain had six locations, a number which grew to 17 last year, when HopCat opened a second Grand Rapids location at Knapp’s Crossing. The Chicago closure brings HopCat’s number of restaurants to 16. But the total will climb to 17 once the Holland location opens in April, Sonheim said.