We dined at Old Burdick's a few months ago and it really needs a refresh. Hopefully this goes well. In studying the plans, I noticed that they will also expand into the gift shop, replacing it with a bar area open to the main lobby (a likely no-brainer for generating more income).
There is a growing trend of new food establishments in Kalamazoo, especially along the downtown Michigan Ave. corridor. In addition to this, Barrio, High Dive, and Crafted Copper have all recently moved downtown, or will open soon. We are in for several more years of downtown infrastructure upgrades (at least), but maybe these are some early fruits of the city's labors to reshape downtown?
This article seems timely, and gets right at that topic: