Royal Oak HopCat to see new life with rock ‘n’ roll-themed restaurant

By Melodie Baetens

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

A brand new rock ‘n’ roll themed idea is opening in Royal Oak, with actual rock energy behind it.

Rock & Brews is a nationwide restaurant idea began in 2021 by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss. ​​This spring, veteran restaurateurs will be part of Detroit rock radio big Drew Lane to open the world’s first location within the three-story house that was beforehand a HopCat in downtown Royal Oak on Fifth.

The challenge was set to open as early as March and started with working franchisees, brothers Tony Yezbick and Danny Yezbick. Additionally they personal the long-standing bar Fifth Avenue, simply throughout the road, in addition to the 526 Principal Piano Bar.

“It is a restaurant firstly. It is a rock ‘n’ roll themed restaurant,” Tony Yezbick stated. “They’ve an awesome menu, one thing for everybody. The spotlight is that this cheeseburger egg roll; they’ve a brand new ‘freeway to well being’ part… that can be actually good.”

Yezbick says the meals can be served on all three flooring: the principle eating room on the bottom flooring, a reside music house on the second flooring and an open-air rooftop patio through the hotter months. The menu can be just like different Rock & Brews areas, which supply pub fare equivalent to big pretzels, wings, burgers, salads and pizza. There are Rock & Brews areas in eight states apart from Michigan, with many areas in California.

Lane says he’s excited to make the Royal Oak Rock & Brews an genuine tribute to Detroit’s music historical past. He labored with Rock & Brew’s design staff to include as a lot music memorabilia from the town’s previous as attainable, together with outdated WRIF stickers, Motown posters, storage rock-era flyers, radio charts, rock membership ephemera, pictures and articles.

Lane served as co-host of the award-winning “The Drew and Mike Present” on WRIF (101.1-FM) for twenty years. He at present hosts the podcast “The Drew Lane Present”.

“I do know they’ve had a ton of success on Fifth Avenue, so after I discovered they have been opening this factor with Rock & Brews, and particularly with Gene and Paul, I assumed, wow, how cool — this may very well be rock ‘n’ roll heaven,” Lane informed The Detroit Information.

“I began speaking to the designers at Rock & Brew, and I bombarded these guys with rock posters and live performance posters and essential occasions in Michigan rock ‘n’ roll historical past,” he stated. “I noticed the way in which they designed the opposite websites, they’ve unimaginable rock memorabilia… they spent numerous time designing these locations.”

Lane, who has ventured into restaurant possession earlier than — he was a companion at close by Mesa Tacos & Tequila earlier than the pandemic — says rock-themed eating places aren’t new, however he has but to see one do that properly.

“After speaking to them and seeing the design they proposed for Detroit … I needed to verify that they had all of the Detroit information they wanted,” he stated, including that he and one other companion, Matt Riley, started brainstorming about what may very well be included. “I actually loved discovering issues to verify that they had all the knowledge they wanted to find this factor and make it very Detroit and really rock ‘n’ roll.”

Rock & Brews will open this spring at 208 W. Fifth in Royal Oak. Go to rockandbrews.com to study extra.