Detroit Food Media Share Biggest Hopes for 2023 Dining Scene

The Detroit restaurant writer cooks the biggest surprises of 2022. This is part of his Eater’s continuing tradition of surveying city experts for year-end takes.

Melody Betensrestaurant critic/reporter, detroit news: My hope is that the owners and employees find balance and harmony so that the costs are not wasted.

Courtney BurkeContributor, Eater Detroit: Having worked in this industry for so long, there are many things within the industry that I would like to see change. Wages, benefits, representation in leadership positions, mental health priorities, work-life balance, and sourcing local food to support local economies. , people over profit, and honestly the list goes on and on. The good news is that conversations to initiate this change often take place over shared meals that the industry is ready to serve.

selina maria danielsCity of Detroit Editor, Eater: I hope the spirit of the community continues to inform how the food and beverage industry operates in Detroit.In the years since the city’s historic bankruptcy, we’ve seen an influx of new style restaurants. But it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I saw the true colors of Detroit. did. Other chefs, such as Baobab Fare, which opened in February 2021 at a height of uncertainty, stepped in when the dining room closed, offering space to aspiring chefs who wanted to make a name for themselves. Facilities begin selling pantry items (and even toilet paper) to members of the community who have come to rely on those locations for their daily necessities. Let’s hope we don’t go back to the same old, tired business model of extracting from the community instead of the .

lindsey greenRestaurant and Dining Critic, Detroit free press: My biggest hope is that they are authentic, like chefs and restaurateurs masterminding new concepts. I see you’re trying to copy and paste those business models locally. But Detroit is a unique place with its own identity and special needs. I would love to see future business owners lean into it and create facilities tailored to the people of Detroit.

Mark Kurlyanczykeditor-in-chief, frame: Supply chain problems, labor shortages and inflationary pressures (not to mention disease!) from the pandemic have eased sufficiently that industry leaders, like 2020 and beyond, are looking beyond just their survival to: will be able to point How to improve the industry for everyone who works in this beautiful and crazy space.

Mickey LionsContributor, Eater Detroit: In 2023, we hope to see a return of politeness to restaurant workers. They are bearing the brunt of abuse from people who are angry or anxious about the pandemic and inflation-related price hikes, and the mental health crisis in the restaurant industry is pretty severe. In that sense, I would like to see more mental health support for restaurant employees.

Carlos Parisifounder, host, Aunt KneeSandwich Talk Podcast: We had so many friendly restaurants that offered very budget-friendly options. Economically speaking, the next few years could be tough for all of us unless something changes.

John ReyesContributor, Eater Detroit: In the long term, we hope that sustainability, especially sourcing and reducing food waste, will become a fundamental part of how we do business. Aim higher: can you count the tip?!?!