A popular metro Detroit brew pub is advancing its mission to become the “best damn beer bar in the world” one crafted ale at a time.
HopCat continues it conquest to corner the Michigan beer market with a push into Livonia. Owners plan to revitalize the digs once occupied by the popular Claddagh Irish Pub at 17800 Haggerty Road, according to site plans greenlit by Livonia city leaders.
HopCat is a Grand Rapids-based chain of craft beer gardens with 10 locations primarily in Michigan, Nebraska and Indianapolis. Its flagship bar is along Iona Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids. HopCat also boasts a location at 4265 Woodward Ave. in Detroit’s Midtown district.
The new site is planted in the College Park mixed-use development north of Six Mile Road on Livonia’s western border with Northville Township.
Claddagh was one of three restaurants established in 2004 during College Park’s infancy. The pub closed its doors in 2019 and sat vacant for years until HopCat assumed control of the 9,480 square-foot bar.
The building includes 243 interior seats and 72 more on the outdoor patio, according to city records. HopCat developers intend to replace the traditional Irish pub façade with the chain’s trademark yellow and black design exterior. They also plan on knocking down some interior walls to create more open floor space.
Livonia city council members unanimously approved the upgrades in March. The new brew pub is expected to open sometime this summer, according to Hometown Life.
HopCat is a happy hour hangout famous for its craft beer, burgers and Cosmik fries, cocktails, and curated local tap list.
The chain was founded in 2008 by parent company BarFly Ventures, a restaurant group that owned and operated four other Grand Rapids eateries.
Four months after the pandemic forced Barfly to file for bankruptcy in June 2020, the company sold its assets — including HopCat — to Congruent Investment Partners and Main Street Capital for $17.5 million, Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
Congruent, a Dallas based private equity firm, now has a controlling stake in the bar chain as a result of that acquisition deal, according to the trade publication.
