Detroit 75 Kitchen Is Expanding Its Footprint in Oakland County | Eater Detroit

"Built 11 years ago out of a 28-foot trailer parked at a gas-station lot on Fort Street alongside I-75, the operation’s hefty cheesesteaks, seafood po-boys, and shawarma wraps are described as telling the story of the Motor City and draw everyone from neighborhood work-from-home employees to construction workers building the Gordie Howe International Bridge and harried skilled laborers. In 2023 the brothers opened a second spot in Troy — what Ahmad Nassar calls a year-and-a-half-long pop-up experiment inside a former Sears Auto Center at the Oakland Mall — where they set up an expansive patio much like the colorful outdoor space they’d cultivated outside the Fort Street gas station. Believing a permanent indoor location is needed to reach iconic status on the level of square pizza or coney dogs, ownership will unveil a new location at 32275 Stephenson Highway in Madison Heights; on that choice Ahmad says, "It makes sense for us to have a permanent home in Madison Heights because, on that stretch of Stevenson Highway that we’re on, between I-696 and 14 Mile, it’s packed with manufacturing companies." Renovations of the former Madison Club Bar and Grill began earlier in January, the build-out is being handled by Siwek Construction, the hope is to open by mid-2025, and an interim truck continues to operate in the parking lot. The brothers are originally from Beirut: the chef’s cooking is influenced by his mother’s Lebanese recipes, all meats served from the truck are halal, and the business is part of a multi-generational tradition of running food operations out of or next to gas stations across Southwest Detroit and Dearborn. Ahmad brings an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and entrepreneurship training from The Wharton School, while his brother Mike has realized viral success with more than 1.3 million social followers and shares the operation’s ethos — including giving employees free meals — saying, "Treat people in a really nice way, in a humane way, and believe me, it pays you back dividends like you won’t even believe." Beyond storefront plans, ownership recently completed a 2,500-square-foot catering distribution center at 1161 Springwells Street and is pursuing adjacent vacant properties along Fort between Clark and Junction to build a larger flagship kitchen, extend hours to 5 a.m.–9 p.m. to add a breakfast menu, and add landscaping and street art in anticipation of increased passers-by after the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens in September 2025. Ahmad says they want to create a destination for people beyond just the food." - Serena Maria Daniels