HopCat to open 12th Michigan location at Great Lakes Crossing, 40 taps planned

Even in a tough market for craft beer bars, HopCat is pushing ahead with a new 40-plus-tap location at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills, a move that shows where beer retail is still growing: high-traffic destinations with broad draft lists and an experience customers can make a night of.

The Auburn Hills restaurant is planned for the former Bar Louie space near Entry 6 and the AMC Star Theater, inside Michigan’s largest indoor outlet mall. The location is expected to open in early summer 2026 and will become HopCat’s 12th Michigan restaurant. Project BarFly LLC says the space will cover 8,200 square feet, seat up to 300 customers and include a new bar, outdoor patio, private dining space and renovated exterior.

The company said it expects to hire about 170 employees for the new restaurant, a sizable staffing push that matches the scale of the site. Great Lakes Crossing Outlets general manager Gary Neumann said the mall was eager to bring HopCat in because it adds a “fun, energetic vibe” and another dining option for guests.

For HopCat, the Auburn Hills opening is part of a steady expansion that has continued even as the broader beer business has tightened. The chain opened in Southgate in 2025, Partridge Creek in 2024 and both Royal Oak and Livonia in 2023, making Auburn Hills its fifth new location in four years. HopCat’s original restaurant opened in downtown Grand Rapids in 2008, and the brand now operates in several Michigan cities as well as Lincoln, Nebraska.

The new Auburn Hills spot also fits the format that has kept HopCat relevant: a large beer list paired with a food-driven, social setting. Its Southgate opening came with 40 rotating craft beers and a 6,700-square-foot dining room, giving a recent benchmark for what the company sees as a workable taproom model. That mix of volume, visibility and comfort-food appeal is exactly what makes a mall like Great Lakes Crossing attractive.

HopCat CEO Craig Stage said the company wants to create a “welcoming space” for neighbors and become a “go-to spot in Auburn Hills.” The opening comes after a major ownership shift, with Chicago-based private investment firm Uncommon Equity acquiring Project BarFly in October 2025. Project BarFly, then known as BarFly Ventures, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020 with about $28 million in secured debt, making the Auburn Hills expansion a notable signal that the brand is still leaning into growth rather than retreat.