Red Robin to open in May at former Bennigan's location near Briarwood Mall
Casual dining restaurant Red Robin will open in May at the former Bennigan's location near Briarwood Mall, officials said today.
Farmington Hills-based Ansara Restaurant Group will own and operate the 7,000-square-foot restaurant, the firm's 27th Red Robin franchise, the mall said in a press release.
Red Robin plans to hire about 150 workers to staff the restaurant, the chain's second in the Ann Arbor area.
Red Robin already operates a restaurant on Carpenter Road.
Denise Murray, director of marketing and business development for Briarwood, said Red Robin would begin hiring around April 1. Job openings will be posted at RedRobin.com.
The chain, founded in 1969, replaces the Bennigan's that closed in January. Bennigan's owners said they couldn't afford Simon Property Group's rental fees, but Simon officials said they decided not to renew the lease.
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Comments
Basic Bob
Wed, Feb 24, 2010 : 8:50 p.m.
Not sure why Ansara would open a second Red Robin only 3 miles from the Carpenter Road location.
stan
Wed, Feb 24, 2010 : 1:24 p.m.
Bennigan's was a thriving and popular business, and as the story mentioned, Red Robin already had an Ann Arbor location. This happened at the expense of Bennigan's because Simon Property Group wanted to raise the rent to a rate that the franchisee in Mt. Pleasant could not afford. But I digress, go ahead and pat yourself on the back for chasing a successful business out of it's location.
Denise J. Murray
Wed, Feb 24, 2010 : 10:09 a.m.
I am pleased that Briarwood has brought a popular and thriving business to the Ann Arbor Area, and that it has Michigan roots. This will certainly be a great addition to the area. I know Ann Arbor will continue to attract more businesses to the area such as Red Robin, with 2,500 employees and growing. Success breads success. Businesses want to surround themselves with successful businesses. The positive synergy will be contagious.