Seven popular restaurant chains used to have locations spread out across metro Detroit or Michigan. Now, they’re are down to one surviving location operating in the state.
You’ll find one inside an airport and another way up in the Upper Peninsula right next to Wisconsin.
From dine-in to drive-in and drive-thru, here are seven restaurants that are their brand’s sole survivor in Michigan.
TGI Fridays
Known for its American cuisine like burgers, wings, ribs, potato skins and mozzarella sticks, TGI Fridays has been bringing excitement to the weekend since its original bar opened in 1965 in Manhattan, New York.
TGI Fridays stands for Thank God It’s Friday. The restaurant chain aimed to bring people together to celebrate the spirit of Friday with its food and drinks.
The chain, also known as Fridays, used to have restaurants across Michigan and metro Detroit.
In 2025, one TGI Fridays restaurant remains open in Michigan at 26299 Evergreen Road in Southfield.
The last TGI Fridays in West Michigan closed in March and was located in Grand Rapids.
The company is currently navigating Chapter 11 bankruptcy and has continued to close restaurants, according to USA TODAY. Only 79 locations remain in the U.S., according to the company website.
Hooters
Sports bar and grill chain Hooters only has one restaurant left in Michigan: Saginaw, at 5538 Bay Road.
Hooters is known for its chicken wings, cold beer and servers wearing orange shorts and low-cut tank tops.
Former locations in Flint and Taylor closed in June, but the chain used to have restaurants all over Michigan.
Bar Louie
Chain gastrobar Bar Louie once had locations across metro Detroit, including Dearborn, Livonia, Auburn Hills and Clinton Township.
The Livonia and Auburn Hills locations closed in March and the Clinton Township restaurant, located at the Mall at Partridge Creek, closed in June.
The Clinton Township closure left one remaining operating Bar Louie in Michigan, located at 510 S. Main St. in Royal Oak.
Bar Louie filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, according to USA TODAY. It previously filed for bankruptcy in 2020.
Max & Erma’s
Max & Erma’s, a casual American fare restaurant, used to have about a dozen locations in metro Detroit.
In 2016, the restaurant chain abruptly closed eight locations in Michigan as part of a restructuring plan that included closing underperforming stores.
In 2024, only one restaurant remains in the state. It’s located inside the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus.
Still on the menu is the chain’s popular tortilla soup.
Sign of the Beefcarver
Sign of the Beefcarver is an Early American themed cafeteria restaurant with waitress service that began in 1957, according to the restaurant’s website. It serves home-cooked comfort foods.
The only remaining restaurant is located in Royal Oak at 27400 Woodward Ave.
The restaurant became the sole survivor after the Dearborn location closed in 2018.
The chain also previously had restaurants in Harper Woods, Southfield, Allen Park, Madison Heights, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Westland, Taylor, Mt. Clemens and Warren, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
The first location to close was West Bloomfield in 1991.
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery
The only Perkins Restaurant & Bakery left in Michigan is located in Menominee. Diners can find it at 2340 10th St. near the Upper Peninsula’s border with Wisconsin.
The American casual dining restaurant chain closed some Michigan restaurants in 2011, according to MLive. The closures included locations in Grand Rapids, Jenison, Holland Township, Norton Shores and Kalamazoo.
Daly Restaurants
More than a dozen drive-in Daly Restaurants were once located in metro Detroit. Started in 1948 in Dearborn Heights, the small chain became known for their hamburgers with Daly E-Sauce and footlong Dalydogs.
Besides the original Dearborn Heights location, there were also restaurants in Westland, Detroit, Livonia, Lincoln Park, Plymouth, Taylor, Clawson, Redford, Waterford, Farmington Hills and two additional locations in Dearborn Heights, according the the Daly Restaurants website.
The last remaining Daly location is in Livonia at 31500 Plymouth Road.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: These once-popular restaurants have just 1 location left in Michigan
Reporting by Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
