Changing Office Trends Reshape Detroit's Dining Scene: 'Fun Food And Atmosphere'

Downtown Detroit is undergoing a significant shift following the global pandemic. For Jeremy Sasson, the visionary behind Heirloom Hospitality, a holding group of restaurants in and around the city, this transformation presents a dual challenge and opportunity to redefine and reshape his brand's identity.

"Detroit's office community was a pillar and driving force behind our restaurants," Sasson explained, describing how the city attracts different patrons. "Now, Detroit's office culture is perplexing."

Heirloom's new focus is creating engaging dining experiences that mirror Detroit’s dynamic spirit. A prime illustration of this is Townhouse Detroit, which is repositioning itself as a destination for larger groups. Meanwhile, Heirloom's neighborhood restaurants, like Townhouse Birmingham, continue to offer intimate dining experiences, which doubles as a hedge when larger-scale events like the pandemic appear.

The Heirloom Hospitality Way

Founded in 2010, Heirloom operates Townhouse, Prime + Proper, and Mad Nice, the latest addition merging Italian and Californian cuisine. Sasson got into the business without prior experience, taking advice and inspiration from neighboring restaurant owners and success stories like Daniel Meyer, Stephen Starr, Daniel Humm, and Will Guidara.

"Just like someone who loves sports and can tell you every statistic, I am very much like that when it comes to restaurants and hospitality," Sasson said. "I am constantly plugged into what the greats are doing."

That doesn't mean Sasson is emulating in totality; instead, he incorporates best practices, mainly atmosphere, quality ingredients, and service, with attention to detail.

"We focused on fun food and an atmosphere where groups could gather. We changed Townhouse in Detroit to grow up with me and elevate everything at Heirloom. We've introduced a DJ platform to provide personally curated music throughout the night, extraordinary lighting systems, monitors, and projections."

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Questions For Restaurateurs

Sasson said he looks for a few things when building, including whether markets have the people and interest for your vision to succeed.

"If the answer is no, are there things you can do to create desire and sensation," he asks, noting the pandemic has changed why and where people dine. With Detroit, fewer office-goers and more groups are looking for experiences. Accordingly, "People are going out of their way to get something extraordinary."

Additionally, the community aspect plays a significant role, with Sasson opting now to build restaurants near others in bustling areas. The more restaurant seats, he said, the larger the potential customer base.

"The restaurant business comes down to two fundamentals: the number of guests and their average spend. Are there enough people, and are there enough people willing to spend the amount you are asking them to spend? That's it at the revenue level."

Hire The ‘Curious And Tenacious'

Until Sasson is no longer inspired to get out of bed and work, he'll continue in the business, focusing on sustainability through corporate structure. That includes employing "curious and tenacious" people to alleviate operational, accounting, and marketing pressures.

"At the end of the day, you want to figure out if others can do certain things better than you," Sasson said. "I need to focus on finding more opportunities and locations and creating concepts."

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