Carson Hocevar, a native of Portage, Michigan and current Spire Motorsports driver, has purchased his hometown Chili’s restaurant after learning it was at risk of being demolished to make way for a Kroger gas station. The move comes as Kroger, a major retail corporation valued at $43.94 billion according to Forbes, had plans that threatened the restaurant’s existence, prompting immediate action from Hocevar.
The situation first came to Hocevar’s attention when 107.7 RKR, a local radio station, posted about Kroger’s intentions for the Chili’s location in Portage. After seeing the post, Hocevar inquired and discovered that the restaurant was, in fact, still operating. Motivated by the chance to preserve a local landmark close to his roots, Hocevar decided to intervene personally.
Hocevar Shares News of Chili’s Purchase on Social Media
At just 22 years old and in the midst of his sophomore NASCAR Cup Series season, Hocevar used his Facebook account to share the news of his investment and clarify the circumstances that drove his decision.
“I BOUGHT MY HOMETOWN CHILI’S LOCATION IN PORTAGE MICHIGAN!!! I am excited to announce after seeing this post I made a call and got ahold of my friends at Chili’s. I wanted to be able to save this location as it’s very close to home. It shocked me to find out the folks at 107.7 RKR had no base to their claims and this location was open.”…