Auction clears out Flats Grille

Jeana-Dee Allen | The State News

About 25 people attended an auction Tuesday morning at the former location of Flats Grille, 551 E. Grand River Ave., to purchase items from the restaurant, which closed Feb. 24.

Paul O’Connor bought his grandma’s cutting board from a Michigan Department of Treasury auction Tuesday morning of the remnants of Flats Grille, the business he used to own.

The sentimental piece and his computer from the restaurant’s office were the only things the owner of the former eatery was able to keep of items sold in the auction.

As O’Connor watched bidders leave with the pieces of the restaurant he had owned, O’Connor said he’s upset Flats is gone, but has many good memories from the establishment since it opened in 1998.

“The restaurant meant the world to me. Of course, I’ll miss it,” he said. “All the people and day-to-day operations where I met families and customers, they were all great.”

Flats, 551 E. Grand River Ave., closed Feb. 24 after being seized by the Department of Treasury due to a tax warrant issued against State Pizza Corp., the parent company of Flats, for more than $8,800 in unpaid taxes. The auction proceeds went toward the repayment of the back taxes.

Nearly 30 people attended the auction and bid on almost everything in the restaurant, from the neon signs to a walk-in cooler. Most of the items sold for prices far below what O’Connor paid for them, with attendees paying $5 for tables, $15 for neon signs and $2,650 for the walk-in cooler.

James Fawaz, owner of The Udder Creamery, 4131 W. Saginaw Highway, in Lansing, came to the auction looking to buy a cash register at a bargain price, but said it’s always sad to see an establishment go out of business.

“It has to be hard for something that’s been here this long to go out like this,” Fawaz said. “But you can tell it has been mismanaged for a while now, and when you don’t pay your taxes, you lose your stuff.”

O’Connor said a serious personal issue was to blame for his neglect of Flats’ finances, and everyone involved gave him multiple chances to make it work.

“Poor management on my part, not lack of community support, loyal patronage or competent staff, is at fault,” he said. “All agencies concerned for their own interests have been very professional and helpful in all aspects of the situation, giving me every opportunity to resolve issues. Maybe too many.”

With the restaurant’s remaining chairs, tables and appliances soon to be shipped off to new owners, students have come to the realization that a favorite East Lansing dining establishment is gone for good.

English and Spanish senior David Christy said a few of his friends worked at Flats and there is a feeling of grievance among most of them.

“It’s really disappointing that it had to go,” Christy said. “Having the local dining feel is great. It just hurts more and more when another one leaves.”

Despite some rumors around campus of a possible Flats revival, O’Connor said he is most likely done with small business operations.

“I probably won’t open up another restaurant,” he said. “There are just some circumstances that won’t allow me to. Instead I’m going to help my brother keep up his house.”