Royal Oak’s Memphis Smoke plans to expand roof deck

More space is coming to one of downtown Royal Oak’s best known locations – Memphis Smoke.The restaurant on the corner of Main Street and 12 Mile Road is expanding its rooftop deck, giving a few more patrons views of the Main Art Theatre kitty corner from their vantage point. The 1,200-square-foot expansion will expand the current space by about 25 percent. The current deck covers a little less than half of the single-story building.”There is still a lot of unoccupied roof up there,” says Jim Schneider, president of downtown Royal Oak-based Schneider+Smith Architects, which is handling the project.The project received site-plan approval earlier this week. Work is expected to begin as soon as possible, meaning as soon as they can get the work permits in hand. The expansion will open late this summer or in early fall. Source: Jim Schneider, president of Schneider+Smith ArchitectsWriter: Jon Zemke