Max & Erma's Suddenly Closes 8 Michigan Locations

DETROIT (WWJ) -- Thirteen Max & Erma's locations across the Great Lakes region abruptly closed on Monday, including eight of the 11 locations in Michigan.

Most employees were greeted by unexpected "Closed" signs when arriving for work on Monday morning.

A company spokesperson says a member of their senior leadership team was at each affected restaurant to deliver the news, but some employees at least one metro Detroit location suggest they were caught off guard by the sudden closure.

Max & Erma's corporate owner, American Blue Ribbon Holdings, said in a statement that it is streamlining operations and is in the midst of what it calls "brand revitalization," which meant the closure of 13 restaurants across Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.

"We felt that the best way to handle this news was to deliver the news in person. This insured that each employee was dealt with individually and in person," the statement said.

The statement goes on to say that it would provide "each and every team member with a severance agreement."

The restaurant chain's website has three locations listed in Michigan, including ones in Clinton Township, Lansing and Detroit Metro Airport.

Closed locations include The Village of Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills at Baldwin and I-75, Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, Laurel Park Place in Livonia, Beck Rd. in Plymouth, Canton Center in Canton and a location on Eisenhower Parkway in Ann Arbor.