Green Room getting the boot from the Ford Building

[MSUguy]

Yeah I get the owners have the right do this doesn't make it less of a dick move. Can't wait to see what stuck up thing they replace it with so it can be up to Birmingham standards


https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...on/1052112001/

[Richard]

I think that there is a disconnect between the older generation that uses sayings as a reference that were not ment as disrespectful but used as a comparison in order to get a visual representation,with the younger generation every word seems to be a trigger to someone else,and becomes offensive.

For instance if the Birmingham restruant scene is high end then it could be concieved that their intension is for a large high end restruant,so they are probably looking for somebody with the means to invest 3 to 400 thousand minimum into the rehab.

If I bought a rundown hotel in Detroit,would it be offensive if I said it would be rehabilitated to Hyatt standards which would be more of a visual verses saying a Super 8 ?

[dtowncitylover]

I think that there is a disconnect between the older generation that uses sayings as a reference that were not ment as disrespectful but used as a comparison in order to get a visual representation,with the younger generation every word seems to be a trigger to someone else,and becomes offensive.

For instance if the Birmingham restruant scene is high end then it could be concieved that their intension is for a large high end restruant,so they are probably looking for somebody with the means to invest 3 to 400 thousand minimum into the rehab.

If I bought a rundown hotel in Detroit,would it be offensive if I said it would be rehabilitated to Hyatt standards which would be more of a visual verses saying a Super 8 ?

This is the problem. The clientele of a rundown Detroit motel is not the same as the clientele of a downtown lunch counter that is needed.

We don't need anymore high end spaces. Downtown workers don't normally eat a Parc or Townhouse or LCH or Texas de Brazil or Prime and Proper. They want Green Room, Jimmy Johns, etc. And Green Room is an institution that has weathered the storms.

I can only hope they find a new place.

[hybridy]

Could they run out of a food truck til they find a permanent place?

[Richard]

I understand,you did not get the jist of it.

1996 you could buy property cheap in downtown,if one is going to risk opening a business why not go all out and lease purchase or try to be creative in a purchase,it does not take anymore money and it gives far more security then 180 day clavate in the lease.

If you are opening a business and sign a lease with a 180 day clause you need to be thinking really hard about a time and money investment,totally irrelevant that they have hung in there,commendable yes.

It is not reinventing the wheel,in depressed areas you can rent space cheaply compared to other areas and maybe have opportunities that you may have never had based strictly on the economic situation at the time.

They had a good run and seemed to fill a need and hopefully will be able to continue in a more stable situation,if what replaces them does not work then it will fail and something else will take its place.

That will be the sad downside of the city progression,opportunities that were advailable before to the adverage person will fade away with progress and rents will increase.

No point in being anti chain,I do not prefer chains and do not frequent them,but they come in with deep pockets,not much you can really do.

There are a number of smaller cities and towns that are actually placeing restrictions on chains across the board,that would be my preference but kinda hard to implement in a large city.

[waz]

Could they run out of a food truck til they find a permanent place?

It's basically a salad bar so that nixes a truck.

[Richard]

Could they run out of a food truck til they find a permanent place?

That is a workable solution,I have customers that I built trucks for that are pulling 175k a year out of them,not bad at 1/3 the overhead.

A weekend event can pull anywhere from 2000 up to 30,000 so really nothing to sneeze at,but it is hard work.

I do not see much about the food truck scene up there,cases like this seems to showcase a demand.

Here I started building them 7 years ago,there were around 100 or so,now there are over 450,it was a fight with the city and state to gain exceptence,and a fight with us older folk that still carried the roach coach stigma.I was only me and a couple of other builders in the state at the time.

Our trucks adverage 40 to 50,000 all self contained,I do not think they would have never taken off had not the cost of doing business in the downtown had not increased so much.

I can see Detroit with its downtown needs and heavy miliniual base as a food truck ripe opportunity.

like they say when door closes another opens.

[Richard]

It's basically a salad bar so that nixes a truck.

I can build you a self serve salad bar truck with every topping advailable and when somebody wants to raise the rent,you start it up and move.

There is nothing one can sell in a restruant that they cannot sell from a truck,niches do very well.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

This phenomenon is not unique to Detroit, nor- in general- a bad thing. Neighborhoods improve, and then lower-rent establishments that helped them improve get priced out. Some of those establishments then relocate to new ground. It happens in every city. I watched it happen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn when I lived there. It also happens in suburbs and small towns. It also happens in reverse, notably in Detroit for a half century. Mourn the losses you personally feel, enjoy the new options you get, and carry on with your life.

[Ray1936]

Yeah I get the owners have the right do this doesn't make it less of a dick move. Can't wait to see what stuck up thing they replace it with so it can be up to Birmingham standards

Really went to MSU, did'ja?

[detroitsgwenivere]

In case no one noticed, there are barely any food trucks in the winter months downtown, and this is because nobody wants to spend their half hour freezing their ass off for a few tacos. The space where they are usually set up is currently being used by some little glass houses full of overpriced wares that most of us Joe and Joan Lunch Boxes wont bother with anyways.

Now we have one less local business to patronize at lunch. Awesome.

[Richard]

In case no one noticed, there are barely any food trucks in the winter months downtown, and this is because nobody wants to spend their half hour freezing their ass off for a few tacos. The space where they are usually set up is currently being used by some little glass houses full of overpriced wares that most of us Joe and Joan Lunch Boxes wont bother with anyways.

Now we have one less local business to patronize at lunch. Awesome.

How many people can you seat for a lunch rush in 200 sqft?

This is the age of technology people here text their order to the food truck and receive a reply when it is ready for pick up,no difference then walking to a restaurant that you will not be able to sit down anyways,some of them rotate at office parks so there is a different variety every day,most lunches are $5.

I have a friend that goes to the military base,he has smoked BBQ and sells a large smoked BBQ sandwich,potato salad and his own baked beans recipe,he will sell 300 meals in less then 2 hours at $5 per.

200 sqft lunch rush with seating? You would have to limit each seat to 3 minutes eat and go or close the doors.

We have a driver at lunch,if a group orders 5 lunches we bring it to you.

You are going to lose places and others will step in and fill the need,it is not the end of the world.

And who runs taco trucks,here out of 400 there are maybe three at best and they are not your Taco Bell knock offs and start at $12 a taco.

Here trucks sell things like chicken and waffles,crepes etc. you would be hard pressed to buy a hamburger or hot dog off of a truck,it is a large variety and usually priced no different then Burger King or McDonald's and it is fresh.

New York city is cold but that does not stop their food trucks from operating,people pay over 1 million for a manhattan steet corner,not buying the land,just for the privlage of the location,every other city in cold country has a large food truck presence,people seem to eat okay there,Detroit is or should be no different.

You want options,there's your answer in shortest time frame,20% of the food truck operators will go on to open a brick and mortar restaurant.

Food costs have doubled and even tripled in the last couple of years,if somebody was just kinda hanging in there before,you will see a lot more shut down,added to 60% of most restaurants fail in the first year or so.

[Meddle]

^^^ Not everything has to be in a rush.

Gimme Luigi's and their cheap pizzas or spaghetti. You walk in, you sit, you relax. You eat cheap. You get full. THOSE were the days.

[Zacha341]

^^^ Ah, those were the days..... now it's a microwave life!

[Honky Tonk]

^^^ Ah, those were the days..... now it's a microwave life!

Or a quick stop @ SuperGreenland on the way home. [[hmmmm, it's time for lunch....)

[Smirnoff]

No sweat.....most, in the know, instead go for the Wings @ Sweetwater anyways.....

[Hypestyles]

so what's going to replace? Predictions, anyone?

[hybridy]

so what's going to replace? Predictions, anyone?

Well there’s an architecture firm in space between jimmy johns and green room. Either the architecture firm is moving out and green room is being absorbed into a single large space...or the architecture firm expands into green room space. There’s another jimmy johns in the compuware building but no talk of them moving out of the ford bldg.

[Richard]

Based on the posted article I am thinking upscale restruant and not corporate based,white linen tablecloths and well known local chef.

It would create a higher market price for the other spaces for lawyers,realtors etc because they would have a built in high end customer base dining there,wine and dine the client.

[Zacha341]

Yummy! One of my favorite places in the DEA... Dearborn that is!

Or a quick stop @ SuperGreenland on the way home. [[hmmmm, it's time for lunch....)

[swingline]

Based on the posted article I am thinking upscale restruant and not corporate based,white linen tablecloths and well known local chef.

It would create a higher market price for the other spaces for lawyers,realtors etc because they would have a built in high end customer base dining there,wine and dine the client.

Yes, there are indications that the new ownership is looking to re-position the building from its previous well-run, affordable Class B status to a Class A Bedrock competitor. Word is that ownership is letting leases expire in order to assemble larger contiguous spaces. Tenant departures have resulted.

It will be hard to upgrade the building. One multi-million dollar problem: it still has its original massive 100 year old single-glazed windows. The new local ownership will probably try to go the less expensive new paint and floors route to get Class A rents. Not sure it will work.

[mikehamm45]

I do not think the market can support another high-end restaurant. Detroit has way too many, while Greenroom was not cheap, I enjoyed it while it lasted.

[mikehamm45]

You have to check out Tuhamas, its located a few blocks away from Greenland on Warren.