In late January, Grizzly Peak Brewing Co. announced with fanfare its return from extensive renovations, alerting customers to its revised menu and lineup of craft beers.
But after reading through the new items, which included a cheesesteak, ale-battered corn fritters, and a chocolate cake sundae, an outcry went up.
Where were the cheese curds?
“This one we didn’t expect,” coowner Jon Carlson told MLive. “We thought a couple other items might get a couple responses, but this one, it was dramatic.”
They rode the wave. Someone calling themselves “Kim Curdashian” created a petition on Change.org. “CALLING ALL CURD NERDS,” it read. “One week without cheese curds feels like a lifetime. The devastating news that Grizzly Peak has removed cheese curds from their menu has brought sadness to many people. It’s in Ann Arbor’s best interest to demand that Grizzly Peak bring back their cheese curds.”
“We need curds in our life,” Carlson wrote in a comment. “They give us something special, they comfort us. They give us something to look forward to in winter. Well, all seasons. We need cheese curds. Please help us solve this issue. They never should have removed these and we must stand up and push them to add them back. We can do this … together!”
In a Facebook post, the restaurant promised to revive the cheese curds if the petition garnered more than 500 signatures by Feb. 12. Fans of the gooey fried snacks were vocal in support.
Well ahead of the deadline, the mission was accomplished. “Curdashian”–‘seemingly coming out as a Grizzly Peak employee–posted that curds would “return to our menu” on Valentine’s Day. People who could prove that they’d signed the petition were rewarded with a free order of curds.
Grizzly Peak Brewing Co., 120 W. Washington, (734) 741-7325. Sun.-Thurs. noon-10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. noon-midnight. grizzlypeak.net
