After announcing on Sunday, Oct. 18, that it would soon close for good, diners packed Royal Oak’s longtime Sign of the Beefcarver for one last meal.
Overwhelmed, the rush of diners forced the restaurant to close by late Sunday afternoon because they ran out of roast beef.
The restaurant, at 27400 Woodward Avenue for nearly 70 years, announced in a Facebook post that Oct. 25 is its last day.
The restaurant thanked customers for Sunday’s “overwhelming support” and said the restaurant will reopen at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
On Sunday, the restaurant’s closing post had more than 1,500 comments.
While comments expressed sadness about the closing, others shared memories, favorite dishes and stories from former employees.
Why people want one last meal at Sign of the Beefcarver
Carole Bodner is one of those
saddened by the restaurant's closure. It's been a longtime favorite of the Dearborn resident. Bodner, 79, told the Free Press she’s been to all of the Sign of the Beefcarver restaurants at least one time − that was more than a dozen metro Detroit locations.
Hands down, she loves Sign of the Beefcarver’s beef barley soup. She also likes the turkey and roast beef. Bodner frequented the Royal Oak restaurant after its Dearborn location closed.
“I am going tomorrow (Tuesday) with tears in my eyes,” Bodner told the Free Press.
Joining her will be Richard Kalinowski and friend Susan Sawyers for one last meal, she said.
Bodner said the staff are extremely nice and friendly.
“It’s a nice atmosphere,” Bodner said. “It’s just kind of homey. Sometimes you get to converse with other people at other tables. You can sit down and relax and enjoy it.”
Bodner said she is sad to see that the restaurant will close.
“I feel bad for the people being displaced,” Bodner said. “I am sure they’re like a family. Because a lot of them had been there long time.”
But Bodner said she also gets it, with today’s economy and prices going up as well as impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Covid destroyed a lot of businesses and that was a hard hump to overcome,” she said.
Beefcarver owner speaks out
Since 1988, Jay Joliat, the son of the late founder, has operated the Royal Oak eatery.
After garnering much attention about the closure, the owner updated the original social media post, answering questions and adding a lengthy explanation about costs.
He also thanked customers for all their love and support.
“This is a tough thing for everyone involved,” the post read.
The restaurant also stated they know its business model is outdated and old-fashioned, dating back to the 1950s, and they were also “blocking and deleting vulgar and nasty comments.”
The owner addressed how beef cattle “take years to grow,” and raising prices wasn’t always an option.
“If we raised our prices to the point that covered our all-time high costs, they would be prohibitively expensive for a lot of people, and we would not be providing the excellent food for the value we have always strove for,” the post read.
The owner stressed that the decision to close “was not made lightly” but was a result of a variety of factors.
“If you think you can pin it down to a single thing, you are mistaken,” the post read.
Its staff was the main reason for staying open so long: “leaving them a tip, offering a job, or any other forms of support would be the best thing you can do for them,” the social media post said, while encouraging other business owners to reach out to them.
A niche beginning
Jack Joliat and Bob LaJoie founded the restaurant in 1956, after buying the property on Woodward Avenue.
It was 1957 that the Royal Oak location began as Sign of the Beefeater, an “Early American” themed restaurant that was cafeteria-style but with waitress service. Years later the name would change to Sign of the Beefcarver after a legal battle with the makers of Beefeater Gin.
Jay Joliat said it was postwar and his father was looking to start a business and came up with the idea of being different.
“The beef buffet idea was a niche that didn’t exist at the time,” Joliat told the Free Press.
In the early 1960s, Joliat said, a roast beef dinner was $1.98. Now, depending on what you order, it's about $15-$20, he said.
Eventually, more than a dozen locations dotted metro Detroit. All have closed. The Dearborn location closed in 2018, citing declining business, leaving Royal Oak as the first and last one remaining.
At one time, Joliat said they employed over 1,000 people chain wide.
Among the many loyal employees, some were with the restaurant more than 30 years and many over 20 years, which Joliat said is “unusual in the restaurant business.”
The restaurant is back open Tuesday, Oct. 20, but closing for good Sunday is still the plan.
And if they run out of food on a given day, the restaurant will close for the day.
Hours for Sign of The Beefcarver’s final days are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. now through Sunday.
The owners also indicated they may be selling fixtures, tables, chairs, appliances and decor.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Fans rush to Sign of the Beefcarver before iconic restaurant closes
