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Even In These Difficult Times, Why Some Food Places Are Instant Hits
Several weeks ago, a new coffee place called Dozer opened in Ann Arbor. It’s on the west side of town, tucked behind a group of car dealerships, not visible from the main drags nearby.
On Sunday, I met my nephew Ben Maynard there, and Dozer was hopping. We nabbed the only available booth and watched a steady stream of people flow in.
Dozer isn’t alone in getting off to a fast start. I can name several spots around the Detroit area that opened during the pandemic that have drawn crowds. One of them often runs out of food; at others, tables are at a premium.
This, while more than 100,000 restaurants have closed since 2020, and restaurants are begging for more federal help.
I began thinking about the places that were instant hits, and what sets them apart from the ones that can’t make it.
Location definitely matters
Dozer, which I wrote about for the Ann Arbor Observer, is probably not where I’d put a coffee shop. You have to know where to find Jackson Plaza, an easy to miss side street.
However, the west side of Ann Arbor is a coffee desert, compared with downtown and campus town. The choices once you pass exits for I-94 are primarily chains. There was an indie coffee market just waiting to be served.
And despite its slightly obscure location, you’ll remember, when you know where to look. The owners have helpfully trimmed the industrial building with chartreuse trim that stands out among neighboring low rises.
Location isn’t a problem for two other spots that impressed me with their fast starts.
Qahwah House, on the Detroit-Dearborn border, put its first location in 2017 on busy Schaefer Road, a short drive from Ford’s big Rouge manufacturing complex as well as its global headquarters.
Farther west, in Dearborn Heights, AB’s Amazing Ribs and Sauces opened two years ago on Ford Road, which stretches from Detroit all the way to Ann Arbor, or about 35 miles.
You couldn’t ask for more traffic than those two began with.
Adjacency to successful businesses
To be honest, Dozer is a ringer. It is the latest enterprise from the owner of HOMES brewery, a popular local producer of craft beer and alcoholic drinks.
It sits at the end of a long building that houses HOMES tap room, which has a vast seating area, co-working space, and outdoor seating, with fire pits.
Although it took a while to construct Dozer, once the doors were open, the existing beer drinkers were there to try it, along with coffee fans.
Qahwah House and AB’s were both starting fresh in Dearborn, but they had secret weapons. Qahwah’s coffee comes from Yemen, which gives it a connection with the area’s Yemeni community, and something interesting for the coffee crowd to try.
AB’s sits next to the Dearborn Heights location of Al-Ameer, one of the area’s best-known Middle Eastern restaurants, and winner of a James Beard Award.
To be sure, GPS maps get updated relatively, quickly, so anyone looking for places can find them, but notable landmarks help, as well.
Great quality menu offerings
Of course, no place becomes a hit for location alone: there has to be a reason to go in the door and keep returning.
That reason is top-quality, and slightly unique offerings. Dozer is part of Ann Arbor’s coffee roastery wave. Over the past year, at least four new places have opened with coffee roasted by the proprietors.
You can look through a window at Dozer and see the coffee roasters at work, smell the coffee in the air, and buy bagged coffee to go with your beverage. There’s also a lineup of gourmet donuts as well as food.
Qahwah has displays explaining the origin of its coffee, with barrels of beans to illustrate the roasting process.
Coffee from Yemen costs more than brews from Central and South America and Africa, in part because its industry has been hampered by war torn conditions.
The result, however, is delicious and available in a number of variations, from espresso and lattes to a decaffeinated, almost tea-like beverage called Qishr, brewed from coffee husks.
AB’s has become a mecca for Detroit-area meat lovers from all backgrounds, with one defining feature: it is halal. That means it complies with the strict Islamic butchering standards. There’s also no pork: the meat is either beef or chicken, and the menu also includes fish.
While the area abounds with Middle Eastern restaurants serving familiar appetizers and main dishes, it has lagged when it comes to barbecue. In fact, the concept of an Arab-American ribs place has drawn some skeptical reaction.
That disappears when the platters of food come out. And while most diners are carnivores, AB’s makes a beautiful Greek salad and exquisitely crispy fish and chips.
There’s little wonder AB’s often sells out hours before its posted closing time. It’s usually a good idea to call ahead and reserve your food even if you plan to stay and eat.
Success feeds on success
The pandemic has been a nightmare for the restaurant industry, and no one has escaped its uncertainties.
Dozer’s opening was delayed waiting for construction materials and permits. AB’s has seen prices soar and regularly encounters meat shortages. Qahwah is dealing with the disruption of Yemen’s strife.
But a good idea can lead to growth, if it’s a direction the owners want to take.
From its original storefront, Qahwah added a second location in West Dearborn not far from AB’s. It also is in Brooklyn, N.Y., and is opening in Lombard, IL, in the Chicago suburbs.
I could easily see Dozer opening satellite shops or taking part in pop ups, if it wants, and AB’s would find an audience in any part of our area.
So, all is not lost in the food business: it takes determination, a product people want and a place they like to gather.
The Next CulinaryWoman Giveaway: Tea!
Parts of the U.S. were pummeled this weekend with nasty winter weather, and it isn’t exactly warm in other places.
So what better to offer as our next giveaway than tea?
The lovely people at The Local Tea Company of Sarasota, Florida are providing this assortment of loose leaf tea for a lucky CulinaryWoman Community member.
The pack includes:
Organic Sarasotan Breakfast Blend
Spicy Market Fruit Tea
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Select
Selby’s Secret Garden Green Tea
A package of tea filters
Each packet contains enough tea for 20-25 cups.
I have a soft spot for Sarasota because it was a favorite vacation place of my parents’ friends (and many Midwesterners).
The Local Tea Company has been part of the community there since 2007, with both cafes and a retail and wholesale tea business. Take time to read up on them.
Paid subscribers and CulinaryWoman Community members are automatically eligible for the drawing. Consider upgrading your free subscription and you will be entered, too!
Saving A South Side Chicago Classic
If you live or work on the South Side of Chicago, you most likely have eaten at Valois. It’s an affordable cafeteria with delicious food and great atmosphere, and it’s beloved by everyone from President Barack Obama to me.
Valois, like so many neighborhood places, really suffered during the pandemic. It had to adapt and it worried about its customers, many of whom are on a budget.
But thankfully, Valois (pronounced Val-oys) is still with us. In fsct, it recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. You can read about its ingenuity in this Eater story.
Please think about dining there the next time you are on the South Side - it’s not far from UChicago and the Museum of Science and Industry.
The pancakes are great, and they make old-school open faced sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy like ham, turkey and beef. You will leave satisfied.
The Healing Power Of Fruit
It’s traditional in many cultures to send food to people in mourning. I experienced that recently after my godmother Maxine Clapper’s death. And I can’t tell you how comforting it was.
My neighbor Margie Campbell presented me with an Edible arrangement, my first time receiving one. Then, I came home to find a box from Harry & David, sent by my New York City pals Mark Remillard of ABC News and Marc Stewart, the business journalist who has been appearing regularly on Newsy.
The package contained pears and apples, inspired by my recollection of Maxine’s ability to peel an apple in one long coil.
I had to laugh. One of Maxine’s favorite shows was Everybody Loves Raymond, and a famous episode featured Marie Barone’s horror at being given a Fruit of the Month Club membership by her son. “What do I do with all that fruit?” she exclaimed.
Well, here’s what I did with my fruit. I combined Margie and Marc and Mark’s fruit into a big bowl of fruit salad, and I’ve been eating some of it every day. It reminds me of their kindness, and it’s also helping me heal from a challenging time. Thank you, dear friends.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
A big event happened this week: my author copies of Satisfaction Guaranteed arrived!
It’s exciting to know that two years of work now has its physical form - and that the books are safely on solid ground. (You might have heard about the cookbooks that landed at the bottom of the sea, which fills me with despair for the authors.)
This means that if you place a pre-order, you should have your book very quickly when it is published on Feb. 22.
Remember to send me your receipt for a special bonus. My email is CulinaryWoman at gmail dot com.
You’ll find a growing calendar of my book related events on my website. I am also posting them on the CulinaryWoman Facebook page.
Please stay healthy and safe. Let’s hope for better weather this week! See you next Sunday.