KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — HopCat is putting the finishing touches on its 11th location in downtown Kalamazoo in advance of its Saturday opening.
Chris Knape, who is the marketing vice president for the company which owns the HopCat brand, says the bar-and-grill, which got its start in Grand Rapids in 2008, will have 100 beers on tap at its new Kalamazoo location for the opening weekend.
“Beers from all over the state,” Knape said. “Some from right here in Kalamazoo, some from as far away as the Upper Peninsula.”
The project was first announced in March. It’s located at the 1920s-era train depot, which has seen heavy restoration work. The location itself is just steps away from Bell’s Brewery, the Arcadia Brewing Company and other Kalamazoo brewing institutions.
“We had to do a lot of work to kind of bring it up to a level where you could bring a bar-and-grill in here,” Knape said. “The bones of this building are great, and we tried to embrace the history and character of the building. You’ll see a lot of raw wood in here and you’ll see a lot of brick.”
A ribbon-cutting for the restored building will be held Friday morning. It will house Hopcat, Maru Sushi and the relocated Cherry Tree Financial.
HopCat’s first 200 customers on Saturday will get the restaurant’s signature Crack Fries for a year.
