Roger Knapp
Personal History

Roger Knapp has been in the restaurant business since he was fourteen years old, working with his mother and father in Red Knapp’s Dairy Bar. After attending college for two and a half years and serving in the military services, Roger returned to Rochester, Michigan, and in 1962 purchased and operated Red Knapp’s Dairy Bar. He leased the building from his father. Red Knapp’s Dairy Bar has been an institution in Rochester and is known throughout the metropolitan area. In 1971, Roger sold the dairy bar to his brother, Gerald Knapp, who currently operates it.

In 1970, a restaurant in Rochester, named The Club Rochester, burned to the ground. In 1971, Roger purchased the property and liquor license and built a two-story 10,000 square foot restaurant named Coopers Arms. Coopers Arms targeted fine dining and was soon highly respected throughout the metropolitan Detroit area. Roger not only conceived, designed, and developed the restaurant, but also oversaw the daily construction of the building and completed a great deal of the construction work himself. Roger was the sole owner, operator, and manager of Coopers Arms for twenty years. Most of those years, he worked two shifts a day, six days per week. The Coopers Arms experienced great success during his twenty years, far exceeding his own expectations and projections. In 1991, Roger sold the Coopers Arms to Kruse and Muer organization, currently operating as the Rochester Chop House.

Roger has also been active within the community as a city councilman for the past twelve years. He has been recently re-elected to his fourth term. For five of those years, Roger was the Mayor of the City of Rochester, (1984-1989), served on the Planning Commission for five years, and has been a member of the Downtown Development Authority and the Executive Committee for ten years.
 

Brett Knapp
Personal History

Brett Knapp has been involved in the restaurant since working with his father at the Coopers Arms during high school. In 1987, Brett attended Michigan State University and graduated with a degree in business administration in 1992.

Brett has been President and General Manager of Red Knapp's American Grill, in Oxford, Michigan, since it's inception in 1995.  The historical building in which Red Knapp's is located was vacant for several years when Roger Knapp bought the building.  He then leased it to Brett and together they designed and did a majority of the renovations.  Red Knapp's has been a cornerstone of a thriving downtown Oxford.

In 2004 Brett and Roger started a joint venture and bought Duggans Irish Pub, on Dixie Highway.  They turned it into Red Knapp's Grill and Bar to add a family style restaurant in the Clarkston area.  In addition to the restaurant business Brett has bought, renovated and succesfully filled several buildings in the Oxford area with businesses to help in that downtown's revitilization.