Afternoon Delight, the downtown Ann Arbor breakfast and brunch spot that opened its doors in 1978, closed for good on Oct. 31 after nearly 50 years in business at 251 E. Liberty St. The closure comes after months of uncertainty over whether co-owner Joanne Williams would find someone to take over the restaurant before she retired.
Williams had been planning her exit for much of the year. As early as June, according to mlive.com, she said she planned to retire later in 2026 and was hunting for a buyer to keep the restaurant running. Her warning at the time was blunt: “If I don’t get a buyer, then the restaurant will probably close.”
The search was still underway early last month. Williams told mlive.com, “I’m still looking for a buyer right now,” a sign the clock was running out for the longtime brunch destination. By the end of October, the doors shut for the final time, and michigandaily.com reported the restaurant had closed Oct. 31 after nearly 50 years of operation. Crain’s Detroit Business later included the closure in a Nov. 6 roundup of restaurant news.
A Downtown Fixture Since the Late 1970s
Afternoon Delight was founded by Tom Hackett in 1978, per the Michigan Daily’s reporting. It has operated at its E. Liberty Street location ever since. Williams joined Hackett as co-owner in 1998, a partnership that carried the restaurant through nearly three more decades of service to the Ann Arbor community…