ROCKFORD, Mich. — Construction on Hotel Rose in downtown Rockford continues to progress, with developers announcing Thursday that MudPenny, a popular restaurant, will open its third location on the hotel's ground floor.
MudPenny owner Matthew Fuller toured the future restaurant space, which will seat approximately 100 guests and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
"At the front entrance, we're going to have a full-service coffee bar," Fuller said. "This space felt like it was the right one for us."
MudPenny began as a coffee cart in 2012 and has since expanded to locations in Ada and Grand Rapids' Roosevelt Park neighborhood.
"We love the community investment in Rockford, it is very similar to Ada, and we are excited to be planted in a community that's so vibrant and active," Fuller said.
The restaurant plans to hire 25 to 30 employees, with about 15 full-time positions.
" We bring a lot of career servers, a lot of career cooks, and so the job growth opportunity for us is amazing," Fuller said.
The hotel's ground floor will also feature a yoga studio, a medical spa, and another restaurant owned by the hotel.
Jason Wheeler with Wheeler Development Group said MudPenny's concept aligns perfectly with Hotel Rose's vision.
"Putting all that together with the hotel component, which is kind of the, you know, the icing on top, I feel like we're creating a lot of vibrancy in downtown Rockford," Wheeler said. "They've created a really cool culture with the restaurant there, and we loved and thought that it would be a perfect fit here."
Fuller expressed enthusiasm about serving both hotel guests and residents.
"I can't wait until that day when we walk in the door and hear all the conversations happening. You know, some of our best times happen around a dinner table. And so, for me, seeing the joy on our guest's face is number one," he said.
Construction on Hotel Rose is expected to be completed by the end of July, with MudPenny and other businesses planning a grand opening in early fall.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
