Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Another sign of tough economic times for some local businesses - a popular barbecue restaurant is closing its doors in downtown Howell.

The Smoke Doctor announced that it will be closing its location at 1202 East Grand River, in the old Firewood Grill location. It opened last May.

The Smoke Doctor posted the following on social media Tuesday:

“We are very sad to announce that we will be closing our Howell doors. The economy is bad, meat prices are skyrocketing and overall costs have increased. With this long, cold, snowy winter sales are down and costs are up. Please come and see us for our final days and for BBQ done right. Also we are doing trivia tonight so stop in for a beer and games. Thank you for all your support and love. We appreciate every one of you.”

The closure was first reported by the Livingston Daily.

It’s unclear if the location in the Hamburg Township area will remain open, but a number of community members have reached out to say they hope so.