Chelis Chili Bar to Close

[p69rrh51]

Thank you Chris for the bring the power of the Chilli Bar to Gilberttown Detroit. Detroit will miss you so much.

Danny, in this instance Ilitchville might be a better description for the area around the building instead of Gilberttown.

[CrashDummy]

Perhaps it was bought by Bob Seger, because there could be another farewell tour. Cheli's was open again today.

[DetroitSoldier]

I'm not going to make a new thread for it, but I noticed that Broderick Grill inside Broderick Tower is now closed with paper over the window.

I had great experience with drinks there, but the food was below par for our city. The location is great and I hope something replaces it soon.

Between the Cheli's, Angelina's, and Broderick sites there are 3 ready-to-go restaurant sites available on the East side of GCP. Getting three quality establishments in there could really set a tone for the area.

[Atticus]

The challenge with all of those locations on East Grand Circus Park is accessiblity. As much as the Urbanist begrudgingly doesn’t want to admit it... almost all successful restaurants in this city still need parking options nearby.

It could be on street parking, a private lot, or somewhere else where you pay... but there still needs to be the place where someone can reliably drive in, drop their car, and not have to walk too far. And unlike other areas, there is no reliability for parking in this area.

You have Ilitch owned lots nearby which are either congested with traffic and expensive [[because of an event), or Illitch owned lots that may or may not be open for business [[because no event). And most patrons don’t know offhand if an event is or is not happening on any given day... leading to more uncertainty.

[Johnnny5]

I'm not sure what's going to be available, but Biddergy.com has a short notice contents auction posted for the Cheli's location this Thursday.

https://www.biddergy.com/Browse/R104...troit_location

[drjeff]

I'm not going to make a new thread for it, but I noticed that Broderick Grill inside Broderick Tower is now closed with paper over the window.

I had great experience with drinks there, but the food was below par for our city. The location is great and I hope something replaces it soon.

Between the Cheli's, Angelina's, and Broderick sites there are 3 ready-to-go restaurant sites available on the East side of GCP. Getting three quality establishments in there could really set a tone for the area.

There's also a restaurant space in the David Whitney on the ground floor that has never been occupied. When the Whitney reopened I heard the plans for the new place but it never happened. If it's worth going to, people will be willing to pay a reasonable amount for parking. Problems arise when there are events downtown that lead to elevated parking fees. I'm not paying $20 to park and then go eat dinner when I can park for free elsewhere and still have a nice meal.

[Atticus]

There's also a restaurant space in the David Whitney on the ground floor that has never been occupied. When the Whitney reopened I heard the plans for the new place but it never happened. If it's worth going to, people will be willing to pay a reasonable amount for parking. Problems arise when there are events downtown that lead to elevated parking fees. I'm not paying $20 to park and then go eat dinner when I can park for free elsewhere and still have a nice meal.

Exactly. And events mean congestion in addition to having higher parking prices. And there are so many events now it is impossible to keep track when events are happening... so why risk it... and thus people go elsewhere.

[DetroitSoldier]

Beside the Ilitch lots, non-Ilitch surface lots, and street parking in the area, there is the GCP underground garage and Opera House garage right on site. Additionally the area is served by two DPM stations [[GCP & Broadway) as well as the Q Line.

This part of downtown is just as, if not more accessible than any other area downtown. I dont believe for a minute that parking was an issue at these places. I believe Cheli's and Broderick were quality issues, and Angelina's was a landlord/tenant issue. Fix those two issues and people will go to these places.

Now if you want to argue that the lack of programming at GCP lends itself to not drawing people in the same way that Campus Martius or Beacon parks do, then I would agree.

[Atticus]

Beside the Ilitch lots, non-Ilitch surface lots, and street parking in the area, there is the GCP underground garage and Opera House garage right on site. Additionally the area is served by two DPM stations [[GCP & Broadway) as well as the Q Line.

This part of downtown is just as, if not more accessible than any other area downtown. I dont believe for a minute that parking was an issue at these places. I believe Cheli's and Broderick were quality issues, and Angelina's was a landlord/tenant issue. Fix those two issues and people will go to these places.

Now if you want to argue that the lack of programming at GCP lends itself to not drawing people in the same way that Campus Martius or Beacon parks do, then I would agree.

It is not the lack of parking, but the unpredictability of it. If I go to a restaurant in Midtown, Corktown, Downtown, etc... I know where to go, how much it will cost, and that I probably won't sit stuck in traffic to get there.

At Grand Circus Park, there may or may not be event game traffic. There may or may not be expensive parking prices. There are too many may or may nots.... Yes there will be parking, but at what cost and effort? It is that uncertainty that keeps a lot of people away.

[K-slice]

Now if you want to argue that the lack of programming at GCP lends itself to not drawing people in the same way that Campus Martius or Beacon parks do, then I would agree.

GCP has made great strides in the last few years through the Gala and working with surrounding businesses. as little as 2 years ago you couldn't pay me to walk through GCP at certain times. The park was full of loiterers getting into fights, doing drugs, and cat calling women. This summer 24 hour security had driven most of them off and programming like the Bourbon Garden Thursday- Saturday evenings has brought a lot of residents from the surrounding buildings down more often.

That being said, GCP still has a ways to go and I think Cheli's and Brodrick Grill closing can be attributed to that. City Club opening along will make a big difference, as would UA actually becoming apartments and Olympia actually doing something with the 3 vacant lots they own that face the park. The ONLY vacant lots on GCP anymore are Olympia owned surface parking lots...

[swingline]

It's true that parking around GCP can be an issue for restaurants especially on game nights. I would wager that Cheli's and Broderick Grill also struggled with staffing. Both establishments seemed to have erratic hours of operation which can not only confound customers but also be highly undesirable for employees. Also, the restaurant industry in general in this area is scrambling for skilled employees for both front of the house and the kitchen. Even a place like Broderick Grill needs someone in the kitchen who knows what they're doing. You won't get any repeat business if you can't even put out a decent burger, wings or a pizza and not take an hour to do it.

[swingline]

Danny, in this instance Ilitchville might be a better description for the area around the building instead of Gilberttown.

It's important to stay vigilant when it comes to buildings owned by the Ilitch Organization. It has probably faded from lots of folks' memory but if the pizza clan had gotten its way in the 1990s when the site plan for Comerica Park was being finalized, the Cheli's building [[The Women's Exchange Building) would have been torn down for a useless pedestrian plaza. As the Ilitch Organization continues to prove with its handling of the District Detroit, it has no interest in non sports-venue real estate development. The Women's Exchange Building was only saved 20 years ago by virtue of its status as a designated local Historic District. The HDC at the time resisted the Ilitch and DEGC efforts to obtain a demolition permit.

[cmubryan]

And I just saw Small Plates is permanently closed?! However their website indicates they are moving.

[masterblaster]

The challenge with all of those locations on East Grand Circus Park is accessiblity. As much as the Urbanist begrudgingly doesn’t want to admit it... almost all successful restaurants in this city still need parking options nearby.

It could be on street parking, a private lot, or somewhere else where you pay... but there still needs to be the place where someone can reliably drive in, drop their car, and not have to walk too far. And unlike other areas, there is no reliability for parking in this area.

You have Ilitch owned lots nearby which are either congested with traffic and expensive [[because of an event), or Illitch owned lots that may or may not be open for business [[because no event). And most patrons don’t know offhand if an event is or is not happening on any given day... leading to more uncertainty.

Sir, there is a parking lot in the back of the Madison building where Angelina's was located. It is where the the Madison Theatre space was located before it was demolished around 2001. This parking lot is adjacent to the Broderick Building.

On-street parking is available right in front of Cheli's as well. See below link.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ch...4!4d-83.049979

[masterblaster]

There's also a restaurant space in the David Whitney on the ground floor that has never been occupied. When the Whitney reopened I heard the plans for the new place but it never happened. If it's worth going to, people will be willing to pay a reasonable amount for parking. Problems arise when there are events downtown that lead to elevated parking fees. I'm not paying $20 to park and then go eat dinner when I can park for free elsewhere and still have a nice meal.

I am wondering why the Aloft Hotel has not filled that space. They already have a built in clientele with hotel guests.

Will the the lack of parking doom the likes of the new food hall? I don't think lack of parking was the issue.

[Atticus]

Sir, there is a parking lot in the back of the Madison building where Angelina's was located. It is where the the Madison Theatre space was located before it was demolished around 2001. This parking lot is adjacent to the Broderick Building.

On-street parking is available right in front of Cheli's as well. See below link.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ch...4!4d-83.049979

If you read the post [[or other posts in this thread) you will see that it states:
-1. Restaurants in Detroit still need parking options nearby.
-2. The parking options that exist around GCP are not always reliable or convenient.
-3. The opinion that if parking is not predictable and reliable, that it makes things difficult on the business end for restaurants.

[masterblaster]

If you read the post [[or other posts in this thread) you will see that it states:
-1. Restaurants in Detroit still need parking options nearby.
-2. The parking options that exist around GCP are not always reliable or convenient.
-3. The opinion that if parking is not predictable and reliable, that it makes things difficult on the business end for restaurants.

Can you please provide an example or two of a restaurant in downtown Detroit that has an ideal parking situation....that doesn't have a surface lot literally right across the street like Fishbones?

I just don't know how more convenient you can get with parking than the parking lot IN THE SAME BUILDING as Angelina's and adjacent to the Broderick Grille. Where exactly can you pave a parking lot that is close to those businessess....that isn't more convenient than the Detroit Opera House Parking Garage, which is a measly 1 block from the Angelina and Broderick Grille? Why has the Detroit Beer Co. existed all of these years with the same parking situation?

Have you not seen the recent articles that show that over half the area of downtown Detroit is dedicated to the storage of cars??? There is enough parking downtown.

[401don]

GCP has made great strides in the last few years through the Gala and working with surrounding businesses. as little as 2 years ago you couldn't pay me to walk through GCP at certain times. The park was full of loiterers getting into fights, doing drugs, and cat calling women. This summer 24 hour security had driven most of them off and programming like the Bourbon Garden Thursday- Saturday evenings has brought a lot of residents from the surrounding buildings down more often.

That being said, GCP still has a ways to go and I think Cheli's and Brodrick Grill closing can be attributed to that. City Club opening along will make a big difference, as would UA actually becoming apartments and Olympia actually doing something with the 3 vacant lots they own that face the park. The ONLY vacant lots on GCP anymore are Olympia owned surface parking lots...

Ironic you just posted this yesterday and there's a shooting last night:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...rk/2294457002/

[DetroitSoldier]

Mark this down as another announcement for Olypmia. I am familiar with Tin Roof. I dont believe they would get involved if this was some sort of smoke and mirrors thing like most Olympia announcements.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...of/3082771002/

[Zads07]

Honestly, I'm surprised it's not a parking lot, but this is actually better than I expected.

[Gistok]

Honestly, I'm surprised it's not a parking lot, but this is actually better than I expected.

Oh that's not for lack of trying on the part of the Ilitch's. Back in the 90s when land assembly for the stadia district was being Eminent Domain'ed... the Ilitch's wanted that building [[Women's Exchange Building built circa 1916) to be purchased by the county as well. But the building owner balked, and went to court. At the hearing the judge asked what the purpose of tearing down the building was. The answer from the Ilitch's was "for a decorative sidewalk". The judge denied including the building in the district, saying it was not necessary to evict the building owner.

At some point while it was Chelios Chili... the Ilitch's must have purchased it [[after 2010). They wouldn't dare tear it down now... I doubt the Detroit Historic Commission would allow it.

It also has a historic twist to the building. It was where Henry Ford I... his only son Edsel first met his future wife Eleanor Clay.

[Honky Tonk]

Chelis Chili Bar To Close

Such a shame.... next.

[p1acebo]

Chelis Chili Bar To Close


Such a shame.... next.

Really? Chelis Chili Bar was never that good. I am not saying Tin Roof will be better but a change could be a good thing.

[Honky Tonk]

Really? Chelis Chili Bar was never that good. I am not saying Tin Roof will be better but a change could be a good thing.

Let's read my post again, P1acebo, this time with more sarcasm.

[Smirnoff]

Let's read my post again, P1acebo, this time with more sarcasm.

Like missing the warm $12/draft beer[[s)....