ThanksThanks to the restaurant boom of the past decade, Detroit diners have more options for eating out in the city and the competition is increasingly stiff. Finding affordable space is more challenging, hiring staff is difficult, and inspections get backed up easily. As a whole, diners in Detroit are expecting a lot more out of a meal. It’s a lot of pressure on new owners to bring projects through to the finish line.

More Detroit restaurants likely to close” — that was last year’s print headline for my annual crystal ball of a column making predictions for the local dining scene.

On a slow Thursday afternoon at Brooklyn Street Local, owner Deveri Gifford gives Hamissi Mamba a lesson in filling an order. “So a ticket comes in here,” Gifford says, picking up a recent order. “We have bacon, blue burger with fries on a white bun, medium rare.” 

Events like Small Business Week help to remind us of the contributions of small business owners throughout the country, including those started by refugees. New American Economy research found that nationwide, refugees earned more than $77 billion in household income and paid almost $21 billion in taxes in 2015 alone. Refugees also have some of the highest entrepreneurship rates in the United States…

“Baobab” is the name of the African Tree of Life. It’s also half the name of Nadia Nijimbere and Hamissi Mamba’s forthcoming restaurant, Baobab Fare. Located in Detroit’s New Center Neighborhood, it will be one of the few East African restaurants in the City of Detroit.

Lamb shank at Sullaf. (814 W. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit; 313-893-5657) Most of the Chaldean population that lived in the area around Seven Mile east of Woodward for decades has moved out, but thankfully, Sullaf still stands. There’s no menu —

Thank you, Jason Margolis at PRI’s The World for sharing the story of Baobab Fare. To read the story, visit: How immigrants are saving Detroit.