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Though downtown Detroit fine-dining spot SavannahBlue did not pivot to carryout during the coronavirus stay-at-home order, as other restaurants have, and didn't reopen until nearly three months after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave dine-in restaurants the go-ahead to do so, the restaurant is reportedly in good shape.
The owners even have plans to expand, with plans to open a "speakeasy"-style cocktail lounge in the coming weeks.
Co-owner J.D. Simpson told the Detroit Free Press that they plan to open the lounge on the first floor of the building downtown where SavannahBlue has been located since it opened in 2016, on the second floor.
Simpson says they originally planned to open the cocktail lounge in May, after he says he was inspired by the lack of diversity he noticed in Detroit's craft cocktail scene. The new lounge will honor African Americans' legacy in cocktail culture, he says.
"What I started to see is: OK. We got a little spot in this — meaning African American culture has a significant history in this stuff," he says.
SavannahBlue is now open for dine-in and curbside pickup. It's located at 1431 Times Square, Detroit; 313-926-0783; savannahbluedetroit.com.
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About The Author
Lee DeVito
Leyland “Lee” DeVito is the editor in chief of Detroit Metro Times since 2016. His writing has also been published in CREEM, VICE, In These Times, and New City. He once asked porn star Stormy Daniels to spank him with an issue of Metro Times. She obliged.
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