M-1 Rail construction downtown
Construction of the M-1 Rail line is taking its toll on business along Woodward Avenue, Metro Times reports.
The Majestic, Union Street and Da Edoardo Fox have lost business and have cut staff, Serena Maria Daniels writes:
Belt-tightening has been taking hold of downtown and Midtown staples from the Fox Theatre all the way up until at least the Park Shelton Building. Spots like the Majestic complex, which houses the Majestic Cafe and Theatre, Sgt. Pepperoni, Garden Bowl, and the new electronic-music venue Populux has cut hours for its staff. Union Street is down to a skeleton crew and the once-packed Great Lakes Coffee on Alexandrine is now lighter on its usual daytime traffic.
Susan Mosey, director of Midtown Detroit Inc., says the slump is not across the board. Some restaurants, such as Seva, have actually enjoyed an increase in business. Others, including La Feria, Traffic Jam, Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails, and Café 78 in the MOCAD, have continued to experience steady business, given the construction, and others, such as Jolly Pumpkin, HOPCAT, and Great Lakes Coffee, have experienced a 3 percent decrease in revenue.
"Most of the restaurants right on Woodward are hurting the most. These include Union Street, Majestic, Midtown Grille, the Whitney, Falafill, Maccabees, Zeff's, Wasabi. ... Revenues are down in these locations anywhere from 20 to 40 [percent]," Mosey tells Metro Times.
