Founders Brewing Co. reopened its Detroit taproom on Thursday, after indefinitely shuttering the location last October amid backlash following the leak of a deposition in a now-settled racial discrimination lawsuit.
“After three months of progress behind-the-scenes, now is the best time to honor our commitments in Detroit and reopen the Detroit taproom,” co-founder and CEO Mike Stevens said in a press release.
“While our intentions were good when we first launched the taproom in 2017, we need to make more efforts to connect in meaningful ways with the City of Detroit. We’re going to do this right and we look forward to sharing the journey with our fans, community partners and business partners.”
The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based craft brewery also announced that Emily Faulkner will serve as general manager of the taproom. Faulkner brings several years of managerial experience from working in Detroit’s hospitality industry, including serving as the operations manager of TopGolf in Auburn Hills and general manager of TAP in the MGM Grand Detroit.
Founders is also keeping its pledge to contribute the income from the taproom to local Detroit charities for the next three years. The company is also working with the City of Detroit and its Detroit At Work program to “hire more qualified Detroit residents.”
“We realize this goes beyond financial donations and we’re committed to becoming a more integral part of the Detroit community,” Founders co-founder and president Dave Engbers added in the release. “We’re not viewing the Detroit taproom as a profit center but instead as a hub for community engagement with the residents of the city.”