Beirut Palace Owner Closes Royal Oak Restaurant, Citing Parking Issues | Eater Detroit

"Owner Hussein Ahmad has sold his longtime Royal Oak restaurant after 21 years and plans to open a new location elsewhere in metro Detroit; he moved the operation into the downtown space at 205 S. Main St. four years ago. Ahmad says sales fell sharply—about 25–30% in June and later as much as 50%—blaming delivery drivers’ difficulty finding parking for online orders and resulting tickets. The decline coincided with the city closing a major lot in May (removing roughly 230 spaces) and raising parking rates in June; while a new seven-story deck with 580 spaces is expected next year, Ahmad and other operators say the interim disruption has hurt revenues. The specific downtown space has been sold to new owners and is expected to reopen under a different name with a similar menu soon, a sign that investors still see opportunity despite recent closures." - Brenna Houck