Business & Tech

Beau Jack's Restaurant Closing March 31, Reopening this Summer as Beau's

Longtime owner Gary Cochran is teaming with Peas & Carrots Hospitality to transform the restaurant, which has changed little in its 38-year-history.

A Bloomfield Township restaurant is about to step into the 21st Century.

And even though Beau Jack’s Food and Spirits won’t look like it has for the past nearly 40 years, respect for its legacy will be preserved in a complete overhaul that begins next month, the Observer & Eccentric reports.

The restaurant at Maple and Telegraph, which has remained basically unchanged since its 1976 opening, will close March 31 for renovations, which include gutting. Sometime this summer, restaurateur Zack Sklar and businessman Jim Bellinson will open Beau’s.

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Their company, Peas & Carrots Hospitality (formerly Riverstone Hospitality), also owns and operates the Social Kitchen & Bar in Birmingham and MEX, also located in Bloomfield Township.

“We understand that Beau Jack’s was an institution in the community and that it holds a special place in so many people’s memories. ... We will be treating that legacy with respect,” Sklar said in a news release.

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The look of the restaurant will change with the remodeling, but much of what customers cherished about the popular hangout will be retained. Many of their menu favorites will be available when the new restaurant opens, and Beau Jack’s owner, Gary Cochran, is staying on as a partner. Employees, many of whom have worked their for decades, will be able to keep their jobs.

But with new ownership, longtime customers can expect some new items an a menu that “will continue to express Sklar’s exploration of American cuisine,” the company said.

Some possible examples: rotisserie prime rib, barbecue chicken and cedar-planked salmon, as well as side dishes such as quinoa fried rice, loaded baked sweet potato with spiced Greek yogurt, Johnny cakes and fried green tomatoes.

A Blending of Two Companies

Cochran told the newspaper that the arrangement with Sklar and Bellinson isn’t so much a sale as it is “a blending of the two companies.”

“It’s really unique,”  Cochran said, adding that at 61, he’s not ready to retire just yet. “It’s going to be a great marriage. It’s a win, win, win for everybody.”

What will change is the look as the restaurant  under goes “an incredible transformation” under plans developed by Birmingham architect Ron Rea. Dining will be casual, but the interior will be traditional with the atmosphere of a high-end hotel.


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