GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A small brunch-focused eatery in West Michigan has received a very big honor.
Lucy’s — located at 1747 Plainfield Ave. NE in the Creston area of Grand Rapids — has been recognized as the 12th-best restaurant in the nation for brunch, according to a recent Yelp survey.
“It’s pretty cool,” said James Berg, co-partner of Lucy’s. “All the blood, sweat and tears that you put into this thing makes it rewarding to see that your customers and community recognize that.”
Lucy’s was the only Michigan restaurant to make the Yelp list, which selected the top 100 brunch spots for 2024.
“This reinforces that the mentality of hospitality is collective effort accomplished by our team coming together,” Berg added.
Berg says he can’t help but think back to four years ago when small businesses and restaurants were crippled mightily by the pandemic. He says that receiving such a high honor in this survey is something that his staff will not take for granted and they will coalesce around.
“Some of us restaurant owners don’t want to experience 2020 ever again,” Berg said. “We lost a lot of employees because they didn’t want to come back.
“And now with inflation, it’s a struggle, but the industry goes through cycles, and I hope this is a sign that better things are to come.”
Lucy’s resides in a 10,000-square-foot facility that includes 160 seats inside and has seating for 28 on the patio outside. It was originally built in 1959 and operated as Daane’s Market. It would later become D’Amico’s Food Mart in 1978 and successfully operated for 33 years until it closed in 2011. The building sat vacant until 2016 when Simon VanderKooy’s children and owner of the property, Brian VanderKooy, Jan VanderKooy and Sue Despre, renovated the space into two restaurants: Brighton Graye’s Bistro and Lucy’s Café, which is owned and operated by Essence Restaurant Group.
The restaurant, which rebranded as Lucy's, boasts brunch favorites like eggs Benedict, French toast and mimosas. Berg says their menu is chock-full of many additional tasty dishes that helped earn them this Yelp recognition.
“Our chefs and staff have the care and passion that’s needed to help elevate us above our competition,” added Berg. “So, come check us out.”
Berg emphasizes that with Mother’s Day approaching, if you’re interested in taste testing Lucy’s, they don’t take reservations. They do a wait list instead.
Click here to see the complete list of Yelp's top 100 brunch spots of 2024.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
