LakeHouse Owner Adds Context to Decision to Close Restaurant

Amy Bleich Heugel says her decision to close her restaurant, The LakeHouse,  had much more to do with family concerns than any concerns about future business.  And she adamantly disputes criticism she’s seen on social media, suggesting that she cashed a big insurance check after frozen water pipes shut down the restaurant in December.  She says her decision was about people and the next chapter of her life—not about dollars.

Heugel told MoodyOnTheMarket.com that her biggest priorities are spending more time with her father, Don Bleich, who’s having health issues, as well as devoting more time to her family in general.  She revealed that the Bleich Family sold the Holiday Inn Express, next door to the LakeHouse, last Summer and began preparting to exit the hospitality industry.  However, she continued to manage and operate the LakeHouse.  The water damage and shutdown, she says, were the last straw, and a signal it was time  for her to turn the page.

Heugel says she believes strongly in the potential future success of a restaurant—whatever it’s called—at the LakeHouse location.  She acknowledges that she’s had discussions with a couple of potential buyers but has not officially ‘listed’ the property, nor set an asking price.

“The property is probably worth more empty than with the building,” she told us.  “But I really want to see a restaurant continue.  So we’ll take some time to explore the possibilities.”  Heugel said she has sold a few items out of the building to a couple of other restaurant operators, but that it is largely intact for any potential buyer.

Looking back over more than eight years at the LakeHouse, Heugel said in a personal post the best memories are the people– the customers and staff– and the time she spent with her parents, Don and Judy Bleich, working hard to make it a success in the early years, 2014-2018.  Judy Bleich passed away in 2019 after a long battle with cancer.  Don Bleich is a retired lawyer, well known in Berrien County legal circles for his  strong and colorful courtroom style.

Heugel told us she is very much at peace with her decision to close the ‘LakeHouse Chapter’ of her professional life.

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