This is a Free Press article from, pre-covid times, about a restaurant-group closure. The question is: can they do that? Why or why not? (Keep it short.)

Major metro Detroit restaurant group implodes, tries to lay off employees

Mark Kurlyandchik

Detroit Free Press

The Epicurean Group, once one of the largest and most respected hospitality groups in Southeast Michigan, appears to be imploding.

The group unexpectedly laid off all its restaurant staff via email Sunday, according to an internal email obtained by the Free Press. Epicurean Group's restaurants include the Nomad Grill, No.VI Chophouse, the Plaza Deli, Soul Cafe and multiple catering brands.

Kevin Hernandez-Walsh, a server at the group's Nomad Grill in Southfield, said he received the email at 12 a.m. Sunday morning informing him he'd been laid off as of Saturday night.

"Recent developments have forced the Epicurean Group, Epic Holdings Inc. and all its entities and affiliates ... to make some very difficult decisions with respect to its business," read the email, which was addressed only to "Dear Employee."

"Regretfully, the purpose of this communication is to inform you that the Restaurant will be transitioning management back to Stan Dickson and The Best Team Ever and that your at-will employment with the Restaurant is being terminated at the end of the day July 20, 2019."

The email comes just six months after previous owner Stanley Dickson Jr. sold the company to Ryan Moore.

According to a Crain's Detroit reportfrom the time of the sale, Moore purchased the Big Red Orchard in Washington Township in the fall of 2018 for $2.45 million and then bought the Epicurean Group in January, installing himself as CEO and moving Big Red Orchard and its affiliates under the Epicurean umbrella.

"We are positioning ourselves for incredible growth and I carry a great sense of pride for what is to come," Moore said in a newsrelease announcing the sale.

The release described Moore as a "Michigander at heart" just returning from California, where he ran the Conlan Abu investment firm.

Reached by phone Monday, Dickson said he had an option to acquire a significant portion of the restaurant group back from Moore but was not interested.

"I don't wish to re-enter the restaurant business," Dickson said. "I'm 67 years old and I retired eight months ago and I'd like to stay that way. But that's only part of the story. I do care a lot about the employees. Several of these people have worked for me for years."

Dickson said Moore walked away from the business after laying off all the employees. Dickson said he'd been on the phone all weekend negotiating with other food management companies to transition the various properties smoothly and stem the loss of jobs.

"At the end of the day I think fewer than five people are going to lose their jobs," Dickson said. "The restaurants should be open and people should visit."

Hernandez-Walsh confirmed the Nomad Grill was open for business and that Best Western Premier, the group that operates the hotel the restaurant is located in, hascome in and guaranteed the staff theirjobs.

On Monday afternoon, the Free Press received the following statement from a representative of the Soul Cafe, which hires and trains people with special needs in a kosher restaurant setting: "The recent news about the Epicurean Group came as a surprise to us at Friendship Circle and Soul Cafe. We've enjoyed a positive and successful working relationship with them for many years. We want to let our Soul Cafe friends, fans and customers know that despite this management change, our restaurant remains open and will continue to remain open with uninterrupted service."

Still, Dickson said this was likely the end of the Epicurean Group,which was formed from the ashes of the troubled Matt Prentice Restaurant Group. At one point it employed some 800 people and included some of metro Detroit's most recognizable restaurants of the past three decades, including Coach Insignia, Northern Lakes Seafood, Deli Unique, Morels and Shiraz.

In 2009, when the recession hit and restaurateur Matt Prentice's personal and professional life fell apart, Dickson purchased the assets from the lender and retained Prentice and his remaining employees, renaming the company the Epicurean Group. Djordjevic was installed as president in 2011 and Prentice left in 2012 over simmering disagreements regarding the direction of the company. Djordjevic departed in April, a few months after Moore purchased the company.

"It's a sad day," Djordjevic said."The company had a strong culture and was on a path of growth, and to see that all come unraveled in such a short period of time is definitely disheartening. Philosophically, it was a recipe for a great merger. But after a few months of seeing that the culture was going to be changing in a polar opposite direction of what I'd spent the last eightyears building, I chose at that time that it's no longer my company to run. I helped Ryan finish with the transition and passed the baton, with the optimistic perspective that, though we had different styles,his direction would lead him to a bright future. To hear it came unwound so quickly is sad for the team. Because we built a remarkable team over the years who are committed to quality and excellence."

"It started out rough and it ended rough," Dickson said of the restaurant group. "But there were a lot of great times along the way. And I'm proud to be part of the organization and I hope I've added a little value to people's lives."

It's unclear what happened to Moore or why he chose to walk away from the business just six months after purchasing it. He did not immediately return a request for comment.