Belleville Big Boy to close doors forever after 38 years

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
After 38 years of serving up Big Boys and Slim Jims the Belleville Big Boy is closing its doors forever at the end of the day on Sunday, Nov. 3.
Guy Averill of Ann Arbor and his sister Debbie Shaver of Ypsilanti are co-owners of the business, which was built by their family 38 years ago.
“It’s sad to see it closing,” Averill said.
He said they recently received a good offer on the property and agreed to sell.
The building needs a new roof and other extensive renovations to satisfy the franchise that would total some $600,000, but the new owner didn’t mind since he plans to tear down the building and build another development, Averill said.
Besides the building renovations, the franchise is up for renewal soon and the agreement would be for 20 years. They decided now was the time to close this location.
Averill and Shaver own two other Big Boys, in Milan and Ypsilanti, whose franchises are coming up in 3-5 years. They have a total of 130 employees.
“We’re close to retirement so that entered into our decision,” Averill said.
And, their employee insurance is going up by 18-20%, with the Affordable Care Act bringing a nightmare of regulations.
Averill said the 40 employees now at the Belleville Big Boy will lose their jobs, except for the ones they can transfer over to their Milan and Ypsilanti restaurants.
He said some won’t want to travel that far to work, so they wouldn’t transfer.
Last week, waitresses at the Belleville Big Boy served their regular customers with tears running down their cheeks, saying they’ve decided it’s better not to keep the pain in, but to let it out.
The sign outside the restaurant reads, “Thanks for the memories.”
Since they hadn’t closed on the sale yet, Averill opted not to name the new owner of the property.