Tom’s Tavern Co-Owner Ron Gurdjian Has Died | Eater Detroit

"On Seven Mile in Detroit, this ramshackle but iconic dive has been a fixture since the 1970s, though its future is uncertain now that it’s been closed amid city issues and Ron Gurdjian’s passing. After founder Tom Lucas died, Ron—who stumbled into tending the bar—became its devoted steward and shaped its character: peering over his spectacles with a crooked grin, interrogating newcomers, offering laconic witticisms and florid rants, matchmaking students, steelworkers, and contractors, and dancing through the annual Babe Ruth Birthday Party with a rocks glass full of ice and Jack Daniel’s. I watched him keep the jukebox full of honky-tonk, bluegrass, and old-school soul, support down-and-out and rising Detroit musicians, serve his legendary chili from the giant ancient stove, and preside over the bar’s hallowed but uneven floorboards; under him the place felt warm, ramshackle, and distinctly Detroit." - Mickey Lyons