Sign of the Beefcarver will close Oct. 25 after 70 years on Woodward, blaming beef prices, the COVID shutdown and government policies

ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Sign of the Beefcarver, the hand-carved roast beef restaurant at 27400 Woodward Ave., will serve its last meals Sunday, Oct. 25, after 70 years of family operation.

"It is with very heavy hearts that we must inform you that we will be closing the last Sign of the Beefcarver restaurant on Sunday, October 25," the restaurant wrote on Facebook, according to ClickOnDetroit.

The owners blamed record roast beef prices and other food costs, a recovery that never fully came after the government-ordered COVID-19 shutdown, and what they called "onerous government policies." Raising prices enough to cover costs, they wrote, would have made meals "prohibitively expensive for a lot of people." They added that the decision had many causes: "If you think you can pin it down to a single thing, you are mistaken."

The Royal Oak restaurant is the chain's original location and its last, the Detroit Free Press reported. For many metro Detroit families it was a Sunday dinner habit, a lunch stop after the Detroit Zoo and a Woodward Dream Cruise tradition, ClickOnDetroit noted.

The restaurant is closed Mondays and reopens Tuesday at 11 a.m. for its final week. It has said it will close for the day once food runs out, so arrive early, especially on the last weekend. The owners said fixtures, furniture and decor may be sold after the closing and that updates will be posted on social media.

The owners also thanked their staff, calling them "the main reason we stayed open this long," and urged other local businesses to hire them.

The closing comes as Michigan restaurants struggle more than the national average. A Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association survey released in April found 55% of Michigan restaurants reported fewer customers, compared with 46% nationally, ClickOnDetroit reported.

Sources:
ClickOnDetroit, “Sign of the Beefcarver closing after 70 years, citing rising food costs, COVID setbacks,” Oct. 19, 2026, https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/10/19/sign-of-the-beefcarver-closing-after-70-years-citing-rising-food-costs-covid-setbacks/
Detroit Free Press, “Sign of the Beefcarver to close its original − and last − location,” Oct. 18, 2026, https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/dining/2026/10/18/sign-of-the-beefcarver-in-royal-oak-closing-after-70-years/92317341007/
WXYZ, “Sign of the Beefcarver closing in Royal Oak after nearly 70 years,” October 2026, https://www.wxyz.com/news/sign-of-the-beefcarver-closing-in-royal-oak-after-nearly-70-years
Photo: Meghan from Royal Oak, MI, USA, “Sign-of-the-Beefcarver.jpg,” Oct. 28, 2007, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sign-of-the-Beefcarver.jpg

Royal Oak

Tags: Royal Oak · Restaurants · Small Business · Closings · Woodward Avenue