YPSILANTI – Beloved Ypsi fried chicken joint Ma Lou's will reopen Thursday after a brief hiatus.
On Aug. 21, the owners announced on social media that they would be closing temporarily due to staff problems, which sparked a response from devout customers online.
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Many were asking for updates on when it would reopen, some were frustrated to have driven there to discover its lights off, but mostly, people just wanted to know: Why?
The #saga continues... we’re closed until staffed appropriately to take you back to the promised land. That’s the bad...
Posted by Ma Lou's on Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Owner David Murabito says the resignation of its general manager was what kick-started the closure.
"We immediately put out feelers but didn't find a good candidate for the vacancy. Our bandwidth was spread too thin to really be able to run it effectively without this key position," Murabito said.
Soon after, a cook resigned due to the uncertainty of the situation.
With a staff of three and a general manager on site during working hours, the loss of half their team was too much of a hit.
One reason for that is the demand required to prepare and make the food.
"Our whole menu is made fresh," said Murabito. "Everything is made to order; the sauces are made in-house. We serve quality food at a good price."
After three weeks of searching, Ma Lou's has hired a new general manager.
"I’m relieved," said Murabito. "I'm just really glad that we found (him). He’s got a ton of experience, and he is excited to take it into a direction he wants to see it grow. He’s earned his stripes at a number of places in town. We gave him a lot of autonomy, and he’s got a stake in how things go for us."
Ma Lou's will be operating regular hours from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
"We'll be starting where we left off," explained Murabito. "Very shortly thereafter, there will be new menu offerings and a potential expansion of hours."
Will you be there? Let us know in the comments below.
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