Beloved Michigan Pizza Place Closing for Good

The past two years have been very difficult for small businesses and restaurants, with the pandemic making business hard to find. Thankfully, things seems to be on the upswing lately, and I even see new small businesses and restaurants opening around Michigan, which is quite a change from the past few years. However, some establishments didn't make it.

Now, a beloved Michigan pizza place is closing for good. It's a restaurant that's been in business for more than three decades but was closed for more than a year due to the pandemic.

PizzaPapalis won't reopen its Detroit Greektown location. Moreover, what's left of the restaurant will be sold in an online auction starting Monday (Feb. 21), according to a report in the Detroit Free Press quoting Joe Sheena, who co-owns the chain with his brother Mark. The restaurant has been on Monroe Street in Detroit's Greektown since 1986, according to the Free Press. The good news is that all five of PizzaPapalis' other metro Detroit locations, plus their spots in Toledo, Ohio, will stay open, so if you're missing the Greektown location, you don't have to go far for your fix.

"We continued to keep the lights on but at this point, it's an untenable situation for us," Sheena told the Free Press. "We've decided to focus our attention on our five other locations, which are busy." He added that PizzaPapalis' other locations are easier to manage, because they aren't as large, which is why they're able to keep those locations open.

Information on the online auction is available via prabid.com. According to the listing, the auction will happen from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and run through 7 p.m. Tuesday. Pickup of items will take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Items include beer towers, a 50" cocktail station, rotating tray ovens, pizza prep tables, bar coolers, ice machines and more.

"Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives," hosted by Guy Fieri on the Food Network, is one of the most popular shows for food lovers. There's just something super entertaining about Fieri, and the show is so fun to watch. What's extra cool is that Fieri has come to Michigan multiple times and picked local restaurants to highlight on the show.

TVFoodmaps.com has compiled a full directory of all the restaurants that have appeared on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." Think of this as a list of spots every Michigan food lover should visit. Some of these restaurants are familiar to me, like Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger, while others I are not. My parents actually live just a few miles from Zaytoon Mediterranean in Lansing, Michigan, and I had no idea they were featured on the show until now. They do have some great Miditerranean food. Which are your favorite Michigan spots that you think should be featured on the show? Reach out to me on social media and give me some recommendations!

In total, Fieri has highlights 16 different Michigan restaurants on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." What can I say- we have some great eating spots here! View the full list of Michigan restaurants featured on the show below, and make sure to visit them at some point. View the full list here.

Address: 511 W Canfield St, Detroit, MI 48201

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Address: 18 S Main St, Village of Clarkston, MI 48346

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Address: 2457 Russell St, Detroit, MI 48207

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Address: 22950 Woodward Ave, Ferndale, MI 48220

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Address: 54 S Main St, Village of Clarkston, MI 48346

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Address: 2990 Yemans St, Hamtramck, MI 48212

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Address: 120 W Main St, Potterville, MI 48876

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Address: 1224 Turner Rd, Lansing, MI 48906

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Address: 940 Elmwood Rd, Lansing, MI 48917

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Address: 2417 E Kalamazoo St, Lansing, MI 48912

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Address: 1026 W Saginaw St, Lansing, MI 48915

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Check out their website too!

Address: 1200 N Larch St, Lansing, MI 48906

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Address: 4480 Hagadorn Rd #103, Okemos, MI 48864

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Address: 304 S Ashley St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

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