GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Despite winning awards during its nine years of business, the popular East Hills restaurant called Grove will be reopened May 1 as Jimmy Berger’s Chicken Shack.
While on the surface, the transition may sound shocking, the owners of Grove, Essence Restaurant Group and managing partner James Berg said in a release the concept of the new eatery had been in the works for some time, but plans were accelerated by the company’s response to the coronavirus crisis.
The Grove, and the new Jimmy Berger’s Chicken Shack location, is at 919 Wealthy Street SE in Grand Rapids.
"We had to make some hard adjustments, but we’re always reaching for new, unique ways to serve this market,” Berg said in the release.
The Grove concept was too intimate for a time when social distancing may be more of a long-term cultural norm, the release said.
“We are hopeful we will once again employ more than 100 team members—but we can only do that if we make it to the other side of this pandemic intact." Berg wrote in a Facebook post back in March, one week after Grove closed.
Essence Restaurant Group also owns Bistro Bella Vita and The Green Well.
Jimmy Berger’s Chicken Shack will start with carryout only, eventually offering limited casual seating.
