On the heels of a successful recent opening in downtown Detroit, HopCat craft beer bar is now looking to hire employees for its planned Ann Arbor location on Maynard Street in downtown.

Barring any major setbacks, the restaurant is planning to open at the end of January and is looking to fill 170 positions before then.

“We’ve had a great response thus far. It was a little bit busier earlier in the week when the students were still here taking finals,” Nick Fillimon, general manager for the restaurant said late last week. “We’ve had a lot of people and a lot of traffic thus far.”

A wide range of positions are open from servers and bartenders to dishwashers and hosts, although some of the positions require experience in the field.

“Our bartenders and server positions we like to have at least three years’ experience,” Filimon said. “We really want to give our guests a great experience, so it’s really important that we have people that are as experienced as possible.”

Still, Steve Cestari, the opening site director, said there are plenty of positions for people without a lot of experience in the front and back of the restaurant.

“We’re just looking for really great people. Students, locals, anyone who has experience or is interested in craft beer and is looking for a job,” Cestari said.

The hiring center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Anyone interested in applying for a job can bring a resume to the center – located at 1119 S. University Ave. – or stop in and fill out an application.

Once the staff is set, Cestari said training will take place and could either be at the restaurant site or at a different location depending on timing.

The first HopCat locations opened in Grand Rapids in 2008 and along with the Detroit location, other Hopcat bars have opened in Lansing and Indianapolis.

The Ann Arbor location was announced in August and remains on track to hit its target opening, Cestari said. The restaurant and bar will feature 100 beers on tap with at least 30 taps dedicated to Michigan beers at all times.

Along with 40 seats at the bar, the restaurant will have booth and table seating along with a smaller dining area toward the back of the restaurant for dinner parties or gatherings. The size of the restaurant is around 8,600 square feet.

“We’re very excited to be in Ann Arbor,” Cestari said.

Matt Durr covers Ypsilanti for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at mattdurr@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.