GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It was a busy night for the kitchen crew at Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids. It's the way employees like Steve Wheeler prefer it.
"It's been pretty weird the past few weeks," said Wheeler.
As Chief Sales Officer, Wheeler is used to coming down to a busy taproom. Their kitchen has been closed since Feb. 18, and their taproom closed for renovations on March 3.
"This tap room here at 235 is the best brand ambassador that we have," said Wheeler. "So to not be able to have that level of hospitality for the community for a couple of weeks. It's been a little challenging and a little odd."
And while those renovations were happening, Wheeler said their employees were taken care of.
"We've maintained all of our employees, they've been spending their time doing service training, menu training, learning more about our new offerings, the new beers that we're going to have on tap," said Wheeler.
Walking through the front door, you may even see a new mural on the wall, designed by employee Arien Middlebrooks.
"It's kind of a graffiti-inspired mural," said Middlebrooks. "So it's like, the Founders logo and a painterly kind of style."
Middlebrooks said he is happy to see a full restaurant once again.
"It's been really cool seeing how new and fresh the space looks," said Middlebrooks. "But also how it still feels like the same the same spot. "
Wheeler described what customers can expect once they see the redesigned Founders.
"You'll be able to get a burger now," said Wheeler. "You'll be able to get french fries, which is a been in demand for our customers for a long time. And there's also some more high end stuff. There's there's salmon. There's a chicken parmesan, there's a braised beef, but your old favorites are still there too."
Wheeler also said the additions will help keep them keep up with the other restaurants downtown.
"Get some more offerings that are high end will allow us to be more competitive with a hyper competitive dining scene here in Grand Rapids," said Wheeler.
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