2024's Detroit restaurant openings and closings
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Fixins' chicken and waffles; former NBA star Kevin Johnson speaks about Fixins while Mayor Mike Duggan and Council President Mary Sheffield sit nearby. Photos: Courtesy of Fixins
The seemingly never-ending cycle of restaurant closings and openings hit Detroit hard this year.
Why it matters: 2024 saw the exit of longtime mainstays combined with a collective love for the culture of food that has kept colorful new restaurant and cafe concepts coming.
What they're saying: "The headline for the year is that the industry has struggled to be profitable due to the long lingering tale of inflation," Justin Winslow, CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, tells Axios. "We've seen a lot of closures … and that is the challenge of the inability to make those numbers work."
- But food entrepreneurs remain hopeful, Winslow says, and the industry is seeing passionate, creative concepts continue to open.
Here are some of Detroit's most notable comings and goings this year.
Closures:
8 Degrees Plato: It's the end of an era for this beer shop and bar in the Cass Corridor that served locals for nearly a decade. 8 Degrees Plato will close at the end of December, according to the News.
- The owners are retiring from the business and were looking to move on after a purchase agreement fell through.
Maru: After seven years in business, Maru closed its downtown location in September, the Free Press reported. The sushi staple in the Federal Reserve Building was well-known to downtown workers and loved for its happy hour offerings.
- The reasons for closing weren't publicly clear.
Rattlesnake Club: The 36-year-old Rattlesnake Club closed in June, citing changes in dining habits and traffic. It said those changes continued to dampen revenue since the pandemic and that its private event business never recovered.
Detroit Institute of Bagels: Bagel lovers didn't have a chance to say goodbye to DIB, which closed abruptly in July after being purchased by local developer Philip Kafka, according to BridgeDetroit.
Coop: The creative Caribbean fusion stand in Detroit Shipping Co. closed after the death of its founder, Maxcel Hardy. The prominent native Detroit chef died in March at 40.
Openings:
The Loan Goat: We'd heard about the Loan Goat for years before it finally opened in June in the historic Metropolitan Building downtown.
- The London-style public house is a unique offering that complements its rooftop neighbor, the Monarch Club.
- Annalise, who is uncultured in the ways of the British, was surprised there a couple of months ago when she received a beer that wasn't carbonated.
Vecino: Recently named the best new restaurant of the year by Eater Detroit, this opening added another upscale option to the Midtown area. Eater spotlighted the modern Mexican restaurant for its technique and creativity, including making its own masa.
Fixins Soul Kitchen: The soul food restaurant chain started by former NBA star and Sacramento, California mayor Kevin Johnson came to Detroit this summer, joining locations in Sacramento, L.A. and Tulsa.
- Johnson said he wanted to help build on momentum here by opening in the historically Black neighborhood of Paradise Valley, Eater reported.
Lady of the House: Chef Kate Williams closed her James Beard Award-nominated restaurant in 2021 but decided to reopen in a new location in Core City, according to the Free Press.
Sepia Coffee: Black-owned micro-roaster Sepia Coffee Project replaced Gathering Coffee Co., which closed in September, according to Metro Times.
📬 Which openings and closings did we miss? Email [email protected] and your response may be featured in a future newsletter.