GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The date is set: West Michigan’s first Real Seafood Co. restaurant in Grand Rapids will open to the public on May 24.

Real Seafood Company Grand Rapids announced its grand opening plans on Facebook Friday. While the grand opening is scheduled for 4 p.m. on May 24, the restaurant is taking reservations the night prior for a dinner benefit supporting the Griffins Youth Foundation. A 4:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce will usher in the benefit dinner.

Real Seafood Co. began open interviews for employees last month. To lure in more potential workers, the restaurant offered a $1,000 bonus for full-time workers who stay on past 40 days.

Real Seafood Co.’s opening comes a couple of months later than the business initially hoped for and nearly a year after Real Seafood Co. signed a lease for the space at 141 Lyon St. NW east of Monroe Avenue.

Crews have been working on the buildout for months. Owner Mainstreet Ventures Restaurant Group says the final design features a 28-square-foot mural painted by artist Jim Perkins of Saginaw, as well as an open concept dining room with light oak wood surfaces and brass accents.

Outside, Real Seafood Co. offers an outdoor patio on the west side of the restaurant with a fully stocked bar.

  • A rendering by Design Collective shows what the exterior of Grand Rapids’ Real Seafood Co. may look like.
  • A conceptual rendering by Design Collective shows the proposed lower level dining area for Real Seafood Co. in Grand Rapids.
  • A conceptual rendering by Design Collective shows the proposed lower level dining area for Real Seafood Co. in Grand Rapids.

Real Seafood Co. serves up fresh, sustainably-sourced fish and top-grade steaks.

The Grand Rapids restaurant will start with dinner service with plans to eventually expand to lunch. Real Seafood Co. will begin with operating hours of Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

This is Real Seafood Co.’s fifth restaurant. The other locations are in Ann Arbor and Bay City, Michigan, as well as Toledo, Ohio and Naples, Florida. Owner Mainstreet Ventures Restaurant Group also operates Palio and The Chop House in Grand Rapids.