While big cities may have built the food hall industry's brand, the nation's next wave of food hall projects will be built in the suburbs.

Why it matters: That takeaway from a new State of Food Halls report is another sign of how remote work has changed where we spend our happy hours and our weekends.

• Nationwide, 14 of the 20 newest food halls opened in suburbs or small towns, according to the report — and Detroit's latest, biggest food hall sensation is by Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn.

Zoom out: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, urban food halls did their biggest business serving cubicle warriors at lunch hour.

• Now, "a lot of people are saying, 'I want to be where the people are; the people are in the suburbs,'" said report co-author Trip Schneck of Colicchio Consulting, which tracks the food hall industry.

Zoom in: That's the case for the Canteen at Midtown, an all-halal, 10-vendor business in Dearborn with outdoor trucks and indoor stalls that owner Hassan Chammi built as a regional destination with ample parking and highway access.

• Chammi tells Axios one key to success is recruiting collaborative vendors who want to help each other out and come up with creative, limited-time dishes.

The intrigue: At the Canteen, instead of standing in separate lines at each vendor, customers can pay once at their table and have all their dishes brought to them.

• Social media is also a big driver of intrigue, with food influencers regularly hyping vendors' dishes online, including Amo Sami's Shawarma and Japanese cream sandwiches from Nami Sushi.
• The Canteen also markets itself by posting reels on its Instagram, which has 31,000 followers, pretending it's a high-stakes reality show.

Another suburban concept opened in Metro Detroit earlier this year. Ferndale ice cream shop Treat Dreams turned into a small, six-vendor food hall called Pavilion Street Market.

• Before that, Whatcha Wanna Eat opened in northwest Detroit in 2023.
• Eight-year-old Detroit Shipping Co. recently took on new vendors Sushi Lounge and Konjo Me.

A Ferndale food truck park with indoor dining, Detroit Fleat, closed last year to become a private event space.

• Other food hall concepts that failed to gain traction include downtown Detroit's Fort Street Galley and the Chroma Building's abandoned food hall plan.

What's next: The report names Metro Detroit among the fastest-growing food hall markets in the country, with more planned to open in the next couple of years.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and there's much to do around the region.

Catch up quick: The heritage month dates back to the 1970s, starting as a week to commemorate the accomplishments of AAPI Americans.

• May was selected for two important dates: May 7, 1843, the immigration of the first Japanese people to the U.S.; and May 10, 1869, the completion of the first U.S. transcontinental railroad with a majority Chinese immigrant workforce.

Things to do:

🖼️ The DIA's event series, most free with admission, includes:

• Saturday, 2pm: A shadow puppet animal retelling of the Lunar New Year zodiac tale.
• May 16, 10am-2pm: View work by and meet local Asian American artists in the Great Hall.
• May 16, 2pm: The annual ensemble Celebration Show with dance, music, speakers and art.
• May 30, 2pm: Experience the Great Hall full of Indian cultural traditions, including local artists' work, music, dance and storytelling.

🍵 Join a traditional Japanese tea ceremony for families at the Detroit Public Library's main branch.

• Sunday, 1:30-2:30pm. Free!

📚There's also a large list of events at the Ann Arbor downtown library put on by the KYLYN AAPI Arts and Culture Festival:

• Wednesday, 6:30-7:30: A concert by a genre-bending producer and DJ, Thomas Xu.
• May 15, 6:30-7:30pm: "A Floating World" performance from dance and storytelling group IS/LAND.
• May 20, 6-7:30pm: Jogakbo fabric workshop using the traditional Korean patchwork technique.

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🇲🇽 The city's 61st Cinco de Mayo Parade along West Vernor Highway yesterday featured a row of Corvettes with Mexican flags, dancers, and candidates for governor and U.S. Senate. (Detroit News photo gallery)

🏭 The Sierra Club plans to sue the EPA for failing to determine whether Southeast Michigan meets federal ozone standards. Detroit's air quality recently ranked among the country's worst. (Planet Detroit)

☕ Ferndale coffee shop Drifter closed yesterday after seven years in business. (CBS Detroit)

Spirit Airlines' shutdown means higher fares are likely at DTW and other airports.

Why it matters: After Delta, Spirit Airlines is DTW's No. 2 carrier, with about 1.7 million passengers in 2025, the Detroit News reported.

Driving the news: The company's demise — which comes after two bankruptcies and a failed attempt to secure a government bailout — marks the first death of a major U.S. airline in decades.

Catch up quick: Spirit — which has about 17,000 employees and contractors — announced early Saturday that it will immediately wind down.

• The company said passengers who booked flights with credit or debit cards will automatically get refunds.

State of play: Local airport officials advised Spirit travelers on Saturday not to come to DTW.

What they're saying: "Fares would likely rise, especially on routes where Spirit keeps prices low by competing aggressively," Western Michigan College of Aviation assistant professor Selim Ozyurek told the News.

How Spirit went down

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Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals starts at 7pm tomorrow at Little Caesars Arena between Detroit and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Catch up quick: The Pistons won their first playoff series since 2008 yesterday, beating the Orlando Magic 116-94 in Game 7 at LCA.

• They won three straight games to advance after the Magic initially led the series 3-1.

The bottom line: Detroit shook off a slow playoff start and now faces a beatable opponent in the next round.