Family plans to carry on local business owner's dream following fatal traffic crash

The son of a local business owner who died in a traffic crash said he will carry on his father's dream by continuing to run his father's restaurants.

Robert McCormick, 62, of Fort Gratiot, died following a single-vehicle crash in Fort Gratiot Thursday.

McCormick owned Big Boy in Fort Gratiot and McCormick's Conner Street Pub in Port Huron. His son, Jason McCormick, said his family plans to continue to run both restaurants.

"We're going to live out his dreams and keep everything going," Jason McCormick said.

Jason McCormick said his father was a workaholic, and the two had a competitive edge while he ran the Big Boy and his father ran the pub. While the elder McCormick had his serious side, he also greeted everyone that walked in the restaurant doors and had nicknames for his employees and regular customers.

"He was definitely a people person," Jason McCormick said.

Robert McCormick worked his entire life in the restaurant industry, starting with his first job at 16 at Burger Shop. After earning a degree in food service management from St. Clair County Community College, McCormick started his career in Houston, Texas.

He then moved back home to take a job as a manager trainee with Big Boy restaurants. His approximately 32-year career with Big Boy sent him to places such as Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Spain to open restaurants, and he worked his way up to regional director for northern Michigan.

While Robert McCormick purchased the Fort Gratiot Big Boy about three years ago, his real dream was to open his own pub, his son said. He finally realized that dream with the purchase of McCormick's Conner Street Pub in late 2021.

Jason McCormick said his father brought back menu items to the pub that people have not stopped talking about.

"Big Boy was absolutely his life, but his dream has always been the pub, a bar atmosphere, things like that because he had his own leeway," Jason McCormick said. "He's an amazing cook, has very creative ideas, always had something new or always looking to make something better."

The pub will not be open for the weekend except for private parties, Jason McCormick said, and will re-open at their earliest convenience. The Big Boy is open for normal business hours Friday and will close only for Robert McCormick's funeral when the date and time has been determined.

Outside of his career, Robert McCormick enjoyed spending time with his two granddaughters, his son said. He was a caring, loving husband to his wife of 37 years and a wonderful father, Jason McCormick said.

St. Clair County Sheriff deputies were dispatched to the 5100 block of Lakeshore Road in Fort Gratiot shortly after 8:30 a.m. Thursday for a report of a single-vehicle roll-over crash. The vehicle rolled several times, the sheriff department said.

St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King said it is believed that the crash was caused by a medical issue.

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.