RIP Greektown: Laikon Closing

[Malcove Magnesia]

Is Plaka closing, too?

[Detroitnerd]

I predict Plaka will live on, as Lafayette East.

[Ray1936]

All the old Greek immigrants are long gone. It's the young MBA's today making all the decisions.

Gee, it must be nice to be so smart.

[MidTownMs]

I tend to agree. I thought the casino would help the neighborhood but some blame has to go to the customers who are too lazy to walk outside. They would rather belly up to the all-you-can-eat cafeteria inside.

Why do the customers have to be lazy just because they don't want to go outside....I enjoy Greek food but that doesn't mean everybody else does. If people want to stay inside and eat that's their business at least they're down there and not a home complaining about what the casino has done to Greektown.

[Detroitnerd]

Why do the customers have to be lazy just because they don't want to go outside....I enjoy Greek food but that doesn't mean everybody else does. If people want to stay inside and eat that's their business at least they're down there and not a home complaining about what the casino has done to Greektown.

Ah, yes. The ol' "At least dere's sumptin down dere!"

Well, she may have a point. Cities change all the time. Something you loved may not last forever, and when it's gone, maybe it's better that way, lost to time. No sense trying to resuscitate something that's gone the way of the dodo. That's so silly nobody would try.

Or, wait. Might they?

http://www.degc.org/development-dist...ent-district-1

[BrushStart]

What a stupid F**king idea. What are the names of the morons behind these decisions?!

[MidTownMs]

Ah, yes. The ol' "At least dere's sumptin down dere!"

Well, she may have a point. Cities change all the time. Something you loved may not last forever, and when it's gone, maybe it's better that way, lost to time. No sense trying to resuscitate something that's gone the way of the dodo. That's so silly nobody would try.

Or, wait. Might they?

http://www.degc.org/development-dist...ent-district-1

If you are going to attempt to quote me please don't edit what I wrote.

[313WX]

All the old Greek immigrants are long gone. It's the young MBA's today making all the decisions.

Gee, it must be nice to be so smart.

Not necessarily.

Baby boomers will still be running the show for the next 20 years or so.

[Detroitej72]

I had no idea at the time, but integrating a casino into the urban fabric is a terrible idea. Much better to have it isolated MGM/Motor City style. Casinos appear to be cancers on the urban form, and its best to isolate these cancers.

Same here. I thought at that time they were doing it the right way incorporating the Casino in a thriving district, but in hindsight it is driving the nails into Greektown.

[Kathleen]

The Laikon Cafe
1927-2012

Thanks again, Gianni, for posting this news. We enjoyed one last fine dinner at The Laikon Cafe this afternoon. Plus I carried out one last order of moussaka for later tonight or tomorrow.

For anyone else who wants one last Laikon experience, they will be open until their usual 3 or 4 am tonight. Then open at 11am Sunday through 3 or 4 am Monday.

Chatted with the waitress who said that the owner of The Laikon are not the owners of the building, who made the decision to sell the property to the Greektown Casino. So it is being torn down for a walkway between the parking behind Monroe Street and the Casino entrance on Monroe.

The Laikon owner is interested in opening a restaurant elsewhere in Greektown if possible. No idea whether it would be The Laikon relocated or a completely new restaurant.

So long, old friend!! We had many memorable times with family and friends at the Laikon for more than 40 years.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

[QUOTE=Gianni;300214]
What was once a unique and wonderful ethnic enclave is now basically a cheap tourist trap filled with liquors stores, sports bars and burger joints. And IMO it's the Greektown merchants themselves, or some of them, who are to blame. No strategic vision of the historic values that made Greektown Greektown, just short sighted self interest, and spiteful infighting.QUOTE]

Reminds me, unfortunately, of Little Italy in New York. Always shrinking and no longer even slightly Italian [[the remaining places are parodies of Italian places).

I have been surprised since it opened that the Greektown Casino hasn't championed it's "Greekness" at all. I would have thought that they would have attempted to keep that. If I were the Casino, I would operate a 24-hour Greek diner. You know, like lots of places EXCEPT GREEKTOWN have. I would replace the vapid Bistro 555 with a real authentic, upscale Greek restaurant. Indigenous neighborhood character is the one thing GHC has that the other 2 can't invent.

I also think that the neighborhood could benefit from an independent film cinema, with 5 or 6 screens. It would bring in people who are looking for something more offbeat than mainstream ,movies. Those same people, I think, would be more likely to patronize unique shops and restaurants than average casino patrons.

[Detroitnerd]

If you are going to attempt to quote me please don't edit what I wrote.

I did quote you. And I didn't edit what you wrote.

[GUSHI]

Bye bye greektown, they should built districts by MGM and mc with shopping and maybe a cinema , restaurants surronding those 2 casinos and also built a people mover type shuttle connecting all 3 casinos w the sports arenas, like the tram in las vegaS, they should of built all 3 casinos in the same freaking neighborhood, Detroit can't ever do shit right, Thats why it is like it is know,

[GUSHI]

Now they gotta do something w the 100s of acres of land that's not in use, ill itch should of put that cash he used to sign prince towards a new hockey arena,,,,,,

[Modusvivendi]

Maybe they should rename the area GreektownCasinotown?

[wash_man]

Is Plaka closing, too?

I went to Plaka last Saturday after the auto show. I asked what was going on with the construction. The waitress explained that they now sell alcohol and they are remodeling the second floor into a nightclub. The owner came over and explained that it will accomodate 180 people and he hopes to have it done by opening day of the Tigers.

[Zacha341]

Casino's are always distructive to surrounding commerce. I signed the petitions to keep them out of Detroit back in the day! Their trashy buffets will temporarily sate the looser who gains these 'meals' ala their comps. The whole idea is to KEEP the gamblers in the casino!

Throw them an occasional bone of a small or medium size win, an occasional hotel comp, perhaps a better 'meal' [[beyond buffet) comp. All of this coupled with greed factor that the gambler will play back their winnings in the effort to 'win' more.

There's little area dining 'discretionary' income left once gamblers head to their cars in the parking lots after a stint of gambling. Not that there was any real discretionary income in the first place!

The casino ruined it, and the Greektown property owners are complicit.

This neighborhood was arguably the best urban block in Micihigan as recently as 7-8 years ago. It pretty much sucks now, though the property values and rents are probably still strong.

I had no idea at the time, but integrating a casino into the urban fabric is a terrible idea. Much better to have it isolated MGM/Motor City style. Casinos appear to be cancers on the urban form, and its best to isolate these cancers.

[East Detroit]

Enter Casino; Exit Culture.

[SteveJ]

Its actually sad that its called Greektown because there is little left. I know everyone is blaming the casinos but I really think the stadiums are the one to blame. Once Ford Field and Comerica Park opened, then it seemed to drastically change to more of a sports bar and burger place.

You also have the problem that the Greek immigrants that owned these restaurants had kids that ended up going to college and wanted no part of the restaurant business. You can see it now in the Detroit restaurant scene. Its still dominated by Greeks but now you have a lot of Arabs and Albanians opening up restaurants. Once their kids grow up and get a college degree then you'll have a different ethnic group take over. Its like the concrete business. Once it was all Italians, now its dominated by Mexicans.

[GUSHI]

Albanians have been owing and operating coney islands/diners since the first wave came in 1968, it's not a new thing, back then when they came here , they either worked at Chrysler or bought a coney in the d. kind of like Chaldeans w the party stores, they brought party stores in the d, I would say that Atleast 90 to 95 percent of the coney in the d and metro, are Albanian owned, or partnered with albanians, how do I know this , well because I am first generation my parents came here in 67.

[Gistok]

The irony here is that in the 13+ years I've been posting here, most forumers were against the standalone casinos, and wanted them interwoven into the fabric of downtown. Well now over a dozen years later...we see how that has worked out. Also, casinos are more like fortresses, and not cancers. They don't spread their tentacles...they just wall everything else out an protect those within.

[Bham1982]

Reminds me, unfortunately, of Little Italy in New York. Always shrinking and no longer even slightly Italian [[the remaining places are parodies of Italian places).

Actually, Greektown in Detroit is now the complete opposite of Little Italy in New York [[I assume you mean the main Manhattan Little Italy).

Greektown and Little Italy were pretty much the same 15 years ago. Both weren't authentically ethnic residential neighborhoods for a good 50 years or so, but both had stayed strong by maintaining the restaurants, bakeries and markets for the tourist and visitor market.

But Greektown has totally changed over the past few years. The phyiscal environment is radically different, thanks to the casinos and all the new parking, and demolition has been encroaching. The retail mix is radically different, with burger and barbecue joints, smoke shops and strip clubs replacing authentic Greek retail. The remaining Greek retail has been dumbed-down to essentially casino comp joints, with crap food.

In contrast, Manhattan Little Italy looks and feels basically the same. There have been no major physical changes, and the retail mix is pretty much unchanged from past decades. There's a special zoning district that limits major phyiscal changes, and that enforces the maintenance of the retail mix.

Yes it isn't really "authentic" if you're talking about an orthodox interpretation of what "Italian" really means, but it never was something approximating Italy. It was always an Italian-American hybrid, much like the other Little Italies, Chinatowns, Greektowns and the like throughout the U.S.

[Bham1982]

The irony here is that in the 13+ years I've been posting here, most forumers were against the standalone casinos, and wanted them interwoven into the fabric of downtown.

Yup, I was one of those folks, and I couldn't have been more wrong. Casinos need to be isolated from anything of value. Put them in the most worthless locations, please.

[Zacha341]

^^^^ I was a proponent of NO CASINOS 'period' in Detroit and ralliied petitions to have them not come here. I used to here folks say "well Detroit is in such bad shape the Casino's can't hurt...". Yeah ok.

And I knew Greektown was done for in terms of what it was when they go their casino.

Yeah put them on the outskirts [[worthless locations) of town I suppose, lest the community you put them in become and outskirts so to speak......

[Zacha341]

Good info Gushi. I knew the Greek percentage was lower than what some thought. Thanks.

Albanians have been owing and operating coney islands/diners since the first wave came in 1968, it's not a new thing, back then when they came here , they either worked at Chrysler or bought a coney in the d. kind of like Chaldeans w the party stores, they brought party stores in the d, I would say that Atleast 90 to 95 percent of the coney in the d and metro, are Albanian owned, or partnered with albanians, how do I know this , well because I am first generation my parents came here in 67.