Haab's Restaurant, a longtime Ypsilanti staple, announced its closure after 87 years in business on March 3.
“It is with deep sadness that we share with you that we will be closing our doors effective at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 3,” Mike Kabat, owner of the restaurant, said in a written statement. "It's hard for us to believe that, after 87 years, there will no longer be a Haab's Restaurant in Downtown Ypsilanti.”
Haab's has been a family business since its establishment in 1934 by Oscar and Otto Haab, who formerly named it Haab Brothers Cafe.
Kabat bought the restaurant in 1976 with former business partner Harvey Glaze until he retired in 1986 and was then replaced by Steve Yandian.
Dave Kabat purchased Yandian's half of the restaurant in 2000 after he graduated from Washtenaw Community College's Culinary Arts Program and continued the family business tradition.
Kabat said that many factors led to the restaurant's closure, including his age as well as a decrease in business. He has been with Haab's for 47 years, and his son and business partner, Dave, has been there for 35 years.
The restaurant has received many calls from Ypsilanti community members and loyal customers following the closure announcement.
"We had over 1,000 phone calls on Friday, and we're still getting people calling from all over the country.” Kabat said. “So, it was absolutely overwhelming; we had no idea how deep that would be.”
Haab's Restaurant has served many generations of families in southeast Michigan, creating a welcoming community for anyone who visited.
“We're really going to miss the interactions with our customer base, that's what got us up in the morning every day and looking forward to seeing what were considered friends.” Kabat said. “It was just a joy to serve them over the years. That's something we're going to miss greatly.”
