Founders Brewing Co. Temporarily Lays Off 89 Workers

Founders Brewing Co. is temporarily laying off 89 employees at its Grand Rapids and Detroit locations due to the coronavirus pandemic, WZZM-13 reports.

Recently, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued an order to temporarily halt indoor dining at bars and restaurants to slow the spread of COVID-19. The restrictions went into effect on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. and will remain in effect until December 8, 2020.

While Founders remains open for takeout, their taprooms in Grand Rapids and Detroit are closed. 

This is the second time Founders is furloughing workers in 2020. In April, Founders temporarily laid off 163 employees.

The decision was revealed in a Nov. 18 letter to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Audrey Strieter, Director of Human Resources at Founders writes:

While Founders intends that this layoff be temporary and less than six months in length, Founders cannot predict the duration of this layoff because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the mitigation efforts of state and local governments and health officials...

 

Given the rapid spread of COVID-19 throughout the State in recent weeks and the approach of winter weather, it is unclear when MDHHS will allow in-person service to resume, what restrictions MDHHS or other governmental agencies will place on bars and restaurants going forward, or when customer demand will permit Founders to resume in-person services.