Haney’s changes hands

CENTER LINE — Haney’s Family Restaurant has been around since 1985. While its ownership is changing, its new owner is hoping to preserve the restaurant’s draw.

“We want the general public to know that we’re not doing anything with Haney’s,” new owner Mark Prentiss said. “We’re not changing the menu. We’re not changing staff.”

After working in the restaurant industry since he was a teenager, Haney’s owner Russ Haney’s last day was March 24.

“It’s an emotional journey like you can’t imagine,” Russ said about retiring. “The selling of the business, the negotiations; it’s been very stressful. I am a believer, and I asked God to get me through this every day, and he has. I’m happy, I’m excited for the future of Haney’s and I’m also excited for my future.”

Prentiss, who is the president of Rising Stars Academy, bought the business and is looking to keep the Center Line staple as is. He and many members of his staff grew up in Center Line and went to Haney’s.

“We’re all Center Line bred, to a certain extent, and we’ve been to Haney’s throughout our lives,” Prentiss said.

“Mark’s got a good organization there,” Russ said. “He’s a good man with a good mission. There’s a need for him and his organization. I pray they are successful here.”

Prentiss said possible tweaks to the restaurant could include new paint and flooring. He’s also looking into an outdoor dining space.

Some of the employees who will stay have been with Haney’s for decades.

“It was very important to me that the employees would still keep their jobs,” Russ said.

Traci Grubb has worked at Haney’s for nearly 35 years, starting as a hostess and working her way up to a five-day-a-week opening waitress. She describes Russ as a hands-on boss who was understanding of conflicts that came up as she was raising four kids. Grubbs describes Russ like a family member and has “nothing negative to say about him.”

“It’s really hard watching him leave,” Grubb said.

Grubb said she’s happy the waitstaff gets to stay on and hopes things stay that way. She said the restaurant is a great place to work.

“For me, Haney’s is home,” Grubb said.

The Rising Stars Academy also runs Gather + Grounds in Center Line and has locations in Richmond and Ferndale. The academy, which is in Center Line, provides job training for young adults 18-26 with special needs and provides them with a certificate upon completion. Gather + Grounds gives Rising Stars Academy students onsite training. Prentiss said Haney’s will add students to the staff in the future.

Longtime customers have told Russ they’re disappointed they won’t see him as much, but that they are, ultimately, happy for him. He shared a story about breaking the news to some regulars.

“There was a grandmother, her daughter and then the granddaughter. The granddaughter was about 20 years old, and she was crying. The mother said, ‘She’s crying because you’re leaving,’” Russ said. “That made me emotional.”

Russ’s involvement with the location predates its current name.

“This restaurant has been a part of me my whole life,” Russ said. “I started working here when I was 14 years old. My dad owned a Howard Johnson’s franchise in 1972. In ’72, I started as a busboy.”

Russ said his dad, Vern, would drive him and his brother down to the restaurant from Waterford. Vern also owned a Howard Johnson’s in Southfield, which Russ eventually ran.

Vern died in 1983, and the former Howard Johnson’s was renamed Vern Haney’s in his honor.

“The older customers who come in, who were part of that time period, still call it Vern Haney’s,” Russ said.

When Vern Haney’s came along in 1985, Russ hired an architect to change the restaurant. The orange roof, dining room and kitchen were all altered to give the restaurant its own identity. After about 10 years, the name was shortened when Haney’s got a new sign. The last updates to the restaurant came four or five years ago, according to Russ.

“The customers of Haney’s trust us to give them good service and a clean environment of high-quality food,” Russ said. “I think that’s what I’ve been able to deliver for them. I believe that’s what Mark will still consider to deliver them.”

The menu stayed close to Howard Johnson’s for years but, around the economic downturn in 2008, Russ and his wife, Bev, wanted to make a change.

“We decided we were going to give quality to the residents and just charge accordingly,” Russ said. “We thought that was a better business model for us and the type of restaurant we wanted to run. We just focused in on new products and quality products from that point on.”

Russ’ brother, also named Vern, runs a Haney’s Cafe in Florida.

Russ is an avid fisherman and hopes to do it more in retirement. He also enjoys shooting clay pigeons. He said he’ll seek new hobbies and stay in motion like he did as Haney’s owner.

“I’ve got to make sure I keep moving,” Russ said. “I think this body is built to move. If I sit down, that might be a problem. I will continue to pray to God to lead me where he wants me.”

In retirement he’s hoping to spend some of the additional free time with his family. He has three children and seven grandchildren.

While it won’t happen right away, he’s hoping to come back to the restaurant as a customer, eventually.

“I will be back, but I want to let Mark get his feet wet in here,” he said. “They’re going to make some changes, not big changes, and I’ll just come in and see those in two or three months.”

Russ said he and Bev, who died in 2023, watched generations of customers come through the restaurant over the years. During that time, they were able to foster relationships with the community. He’s thankful for those connections.

“I’ve been here a long, long time, and that’s amazing,” Russ said. “I love this restaurant, and I always have. I’ve always had a heart for this restaurant, for this area. This area has been great to me and my family. I hope I have provided for this community, Center Line and Warren, for many, many years faithfully.”