The elevated Big Boy statue that has stood on Plymouth
Road near Farmington Road since 1958 will be coming down as the site will get a
facelift and a new name this month.
The restaurant will open Friday morning as Annie’s Family
Restaurant and Bake Shop. The owners are ending their relationship with the
chain restaurant, remodeling the property, and creating an independent
establishment with a revamped menu featuring Michigan products.
“Our contract with Big Boy expired and we mutually agreed
to depart,” said partner Wail Bamieh. “They have quality food and reputation,
but this gives us a chance to do something different.”
Bamieh has been affiliated with Big Boy restaurants since
1970. Along with partners James Morisi Sr. and James Morisi Jr., Bamieh has controlled
the Livonia site for 14 years.
The trio is in the midst of projects to install a new
fireplace, remodel the salad bar, and other interior renovations. New outdoor
signage will be installed for Annie’s, named for memory of the wife and mother
of the Morisi’s, a lady who was known for her homemade dishes.
The new restaurant will feature a familiar collection of
sandwiches, home-cooked meals, and extensive breakfast offerings at reasonable
prices, Bamieh said. Annie’s will add fresh seafood, Mediterranean and Polish
dishes to the menu, including Jennie’s Pierogis.
Bamieh said he is excited to unveil a unique collection of
homemade desserts with homemade cakes, pies and original creations featuring
Guernsey’s Ice Cream. He said he hopes the changes to will keep his regular
customers coming back while attracting new ones.
“We always had a good reputation for a clean restaurant,
good food and good service,” Bamieh said. “I think our customers appreciate it,
and we will continue that.”
He added he will maintain his 40 employees, including
some veteran wait staff led by Denise Hueston, who has worked at the site for
38 years.
Livonia Chamber of Commerce President Dan West said
Bamieh and his partners have thoroughly planned this transition.
“This is the second time in less than 10 years that Wail
and his partners have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars enhancing this
property,” West said. “He’s not slapping a new sign on an old building. The
look, menu, and name will be fresh when the site reopens.”
Annies Family Restaurant and Bake Shop is scheduled to
open at 6 a.m. Friday, March 7. The phone number is 734.421.4349.
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CONTACT:
Wail Bamieh, partner, 734.421.4349
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