After more than 80 years in Muskegon, Cole’s Quality Foods — known for inventing the first commercially available frozen garlic bread in 1973 — has halted production at its original plant, notifying workers Wednesday, Sept. 10, that operations were ending immediately as the company prepares for a full closure this fall, city officials confirmed.

The facility at 1188 Lakeshore Drive will officially close Nov. 9, affecting 175 employees, 144 union-represented workers from Teamsters Local 406 and 31 in management, office and supervisory roles, according to a notice filed under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

"We expect the closing to be permanent in nature," the filing states.

Some office staff will remain for several weeks to months to complete adm

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