One of Eastern Market’s longest-standing restaurants, Louisiana Creole Gumbo, announced its move to a new location down the street last Thursday, according to Detroit Metro Times. The restaurant is hosting a ribbon cutting of the new space on Wednesday, Nov. 11 but the new space will not open to the public until next year.
Owned by Joe Spencer, Louisiana Creole Gumbo has been serving the Eastern Market neighborhood since 1970. While the Eastern Market district has seen significant development and growth over the past few decades, increased rent prices, cost of operation, and gentrification on a larger scale have also posed new challenges to long-time small businesses in the area.
When Spencer offered to purchase the original restaurant building at 2051 Gratiot Avenue in 2022, he wasn’t able to reach a final agreement with the building’s owner. Fortunately, the restaurant found its new home a few steps down the street at 2830 Gratiot Avenue at the corner of Gratiot and Joseph Campau.
The new Louisiana Creole Gumbo space will be much bigger compared to the restaurant’s original location, consisting of a sit-down area, two outdoor patios, and a tasting kitchen. There will be live entertainment and the restaurant plans to apply for liquor licenses.
There are two other Louisiana Creole Gumbo locations, one on Seven Miles in Detroit and another in Farmington Hills. By the time of this coverage, Spencer had not replied to What Now Detroit’s request for comments. However, the restaurant indicated in a press release that the relocation is “an example of how businesses are taking advantage of the gentrification of one of the city’s hottest spots to incubate the resurgence of a neighborhood nearby.”
