Cottage Bar closed for now over employee-owner dispute

Kyle Mitchell
·1 min read
17

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Cottage Bar and Restaurant, a downtown Grand Rapids landmark, has closed temporarily amid a dispute between employees and the owner.

Employees told News 8 they were fired, but the owner said the staff won’t return to work. The owner said he intends to reopen after hiring new workers.

The restaurant on LaGrave Avenue SE near Fulton Street originally opened in 1927, owned by Earl and Marie Coon. The bar’s website claims that after the end of Prohibition, they were the first in the city to get a liquor license.

For many years, Cottage Bar was run by members of the Verhil family. Dan Verhil put it up for sale in February 2020 when he decided to retire. It was purchased in March 2021 by Jassi and Sandeep Dhami, who also own the nearby Palace of India.

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