Patrons Say 'Cheers' to Four Green Fields

John Conley, a retiree who has been going to  in Royal Oak for 10-plus years, and his friends who come from cities as far away as Allen Park and Walled Lake have a serious problem to fix: Where will they meet next week?

After 31 years of business, Four Green Fields is closing its doors for good at 2 a.m. Sunday (that's very late Saturday night for you bar hounds). Singer Cliff Erickson will perform one last time on Saturday night, beginning at 10 p.m.

"Everyone is either Irish or they want to be Irish. I started coming here because it had the reputation of being a great Irish," said Conley, who drives from the Pontiac area to have a few beers with friends. "We have a group of retirees who show up on Mondays, and sometimes Wednesdays. We get together and pretend we can fix the world's problems."

Manager Cris Frisone has worked at the bar, nestled in the Northwood Shopping Center at the southwest corner of 13 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, since she was a student in college. She said the bar's closing is the result of "a perfect storm."

"The smoking ban hurt us, and so did the economy. Then Facebook yanked our page when a Florida bar that hasn't been around as long as us claimed they were entitled to the name. It's just a bunch of things," she said.

Frisone said Four Green Fields owner Rick Griswold, her longtime boyfriend, made the decision to close the bar a couple of months ago, but they told employees just Monday.

"It was a hard decision," Frisone said. "This place is so much more than four walls."

That's true for Greg Caston, a hemo technician, and Gerard Hays, a nurse,  who work at nearby Beaumont Hospital. They often walk to Four Green Fields for lunch or go by after work to relax and wind down. 

"I don't know where we'll go next," Hays said. "There is nothing like this place."

Caston will miss the good food. "Vinnie the cook will make things for you that aren't even on the menu. All you have to do is ask him," he said. "It's things like that. This place is going to be missed."

Bartender Greg Main has served up a lot of cocktails over the years. "Just look at the ceiling of this place. That's the wear and tear of a lot of fun. This place was the Cheers of Royal Oak."

While customers try to figure out where they will go for fun, good food and good company next, Frisone and Griswold have plans for next week. "We're going to take a good nap," Frisone said.

When they wake up, Frisone is going to pick up where she started and go back to school.

While plenty of patrons are sad about the decision to close the bar, all are excited for Griswold and Frisone to start their new life.

"I'm looking forward to starting new," Frisone said. "Just not a new bar."