Sign of the Beefcarver in Dearborn closes

Ann Zaniewski | Detroit Free Press

The Sign of the Beefcarver on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn is closing Monday after more than 50 years of serving up freshly sliced roast beef and other comfort foods.

Employees were told at a meeting Monday morning that the day would be the restaurant's last, manager Russell Talbert said.

"We were happy to be here for as long as we were," Talbert told the Free Press. "We’re sorry for all the customers that are finding out this way. There’s a lot of people that have been coming here since they were kids."

Talbert said declining business is to blame for the closure of the eatery that opened in the 1960s.

"We’re just losing business. We couldn’t keep the business up. ... For me personally, I do the books at night, I can see that we’re not making a lot of money," he said. "For a lot of other people, it came as a shock."

A message to the restaurant's corporate offices was not immediately returned.

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The Sign of the Beefcarver, a chain of American-themed cafeteria-style restaurants with waitress service, began in 1957, according to its website.

There were once several locations in metro Detroit. The only other remaining location, on Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak, is scheduled to remain open.

On yelp.com, the 20 reviews of the Dearborn location earned it 4 out of 5 stars.

"I've been coming here since I was a kid and the food has always been amazing," one Dearborn woman wrote Saturday in its most recent review. "Roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes is my go-to."

It's unclear whether any of the Dearborn restaurant's 30 to 35 employees will be offered jobs at the Royal Oak location.

Talbert said the owners of the restaurant have sold the building. There are plans to redevelop the site into a strip mall, he said.

The phone at the restaurant was ringing like crazy once people learned about the closure through social media, Talbert said.

Talbert marked the restaurant's final day by enjoying a plate of roast beef.

"I'll miss that," he said.

Contact staff writer Ann Zaniewski at 313-222-6594 or azaniewski@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AnnZaniewski.