Big Boy will be razed for new MSU Federal Credit Union in Brighton

Jennifer Eberbach, Livingston Daily
·2 min read

BRIGHTON — Brighton will say goodbye to a longtime Big Boy Restaurant building, as MSU Federal Credit Union officials prepare to raze it.

Brighton City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve site plans for the new MSUFCU branch at 8510 W. Grand River Ave.

Officials plan to demolish the building and redesign the property with a 7,700-square-foot, single-story branch. The credit union is under contract for a long-term lease of the property, according to city documents.

Plans for the site include four drive-thru banking lanes under a canopy structure. Two drives in and out of the site will stay in their locations on Grand River Avenue and Challis Road.

An architectural rendering shows the new MSU Federal Credit Union in Brighton.
An architectural rendering shows the new MSU Federal Credit Union in Brighton.

"We are proud to be expanding into Brighton," Erin Bowdell of MSUFCU told officials Thursday.

"We have many Michigan State University students and alumni here," Bowdell said. "We take pride in our organization's core values, one of which is giving back to the community. We look forward to making an impact here in Brighton."

Brighton's Big Boy closed in the spring of 2023.
Brighton's Big Boy closed in the spring of 2023.

She said MSUFCU was founded in 1937 at MSU to help members save and borrow money during the Great Depression.

The credit union has 27 branch locations, about 350,000 members, and about 1,100 employees, she said.

The Brighton Big Boy was built in 1976 and opened in 1977. The location was owned by franchisees before a 2015 eviction. It was taken over by then-company owner Big Boy Restaurants International and remodeled.

In 2021, Warren-based firm Big Boy Restaurant Group again remodeled to make the space more contemporary and reopened with a new look and menu items.

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The location closed for business this spring.

Livingston County is now without a Big Boy. Longtime Hartland Big Boy owners Nick and Jean Shaieb closed their location, the last remaining in the county, in May.

— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com. 

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Big Boy will be razed for new MSU Federal Credit Union in Brighton