The Daly Drive-in restaurant, once known as one of the old-fashioned drive-in restaurants in metro Detroit where diners could drive in, sit in their cars, order and eat or dine in, is shuttering.
Owner Scott Grace, who is retiring, told the Free Press that the main thing about the closing announcement is that the restaurant will not close immediately. The restaurant will be there a while and it will be months before it closes.
Located on Plymouth Road in Livonia, the Daly Drive-in served the community for more than 67 years with its Dalyburgers, Dalydogs, foot-longs, shakes and a host of other menu items like chili fries, onion rings and its Daly E-Sauce. According to a Facebook post, the restaurant announced “with great sadness” that this summer would be its last season.
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“We have been fortunate to serve the community for over 67 years. We appreciate all that you have done for us throughout these decades. We hope that you will continue to support both Daly and its longtime staff. We have been blessed to have such a dedicated, honest and hard-working crew. We hope that they can remain with us through these final months.”
Grace said he has been trying to sell the business since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We do have an offer in place on the building and property from our neighbor, a 7-Eleven," Grace told the Free Press. "I've been trying to retire for years. My health is not as great, and I am not capable of doing certain things with the business. And I don't want to leave it to my wife to run."
At one time, about five years ago, Grace said he received an offer for the building and property from the gas station and convenience store chain Sheetz, which he turned down.
Its Facebook post about the closing now has nearly 700 comments, with most sad and sorry to hear the restaurant is closing. Many of the comments include memories of going to the restaurant, meeting up with and hanging out with friends after school or events or as a go-to for families. Comments also include those who said their parents met there or relatives worked there.
Grace said some of the best memories about the job are the people and also the toughest.
"We've been blessed with many longtime customers, as you can see by the Facebook announcement comments," he said.
The Livonia location at 31500 Plymouth Road, according to its website, was opened by Bud and Doris Grace in March 1959. Scott Grace, 67, the original owner's son, is the current owner and is a month younger than the business his parents built.
Up until about five or six years ago, the restaurant had drive-up and curbside service since its 1959 opening, but Grace said the canopies were torn down.
"The insurance would not cover replacing the canopy," Grace said. "They left a quarter of a million dollar different between what the insurance company would pay and what the new canopy would cost."
At one time more than a dozen drive-in Daly Restaurants dotted metro Detroit from Clawson to Redford to Westland. The chain got its start in 1948, according to its website, when Bill Ihlenfeldt opened his first location that summer in Dearborn Heights.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Daly Restaurant, a Livonia landmark is closing after the summer season
