Grosse Pointe could soon be welcoming a new happy hour destination in the Kercheval Place marketplace.
An entrepreneur with restaurants across metro Detroit plans to open Shifts Kitchen & Cocktails, an upscale bar and sushi grill, at 17051 Kercheval Ave. this summer.
Steven Simon is the main thrust behind the forthcoming restaurant, which is slated to open by early July at the intersection of St. Clair Avenue.
“It’s going to be more of an upscale atmosphere with good drinks, good service,” Simon told What Now Detroit.
Shift Kitchen & Cocktails will exist under the same roof alongside a Sidecar Slider Bar, a mini burger concept Simon founded several years ago. Shift Kitchen and Sidecar Slider will operate independently on different sides of the 6,000 square-foot building.
It’s not an unfamiliar set-up for the two growing dining spots. Shift Kitchen & Cocktails already shares a building with Sidecar Slider Bar at its flagship location in Birmingham.
Simon plans to launch another dual restaurant with the two brands at 340 N. Main St. in downtown Plymouth next month.
Likewise, the building in Grosse Pointe will play double duty for Simon’s brainchildren. He’s partnering with local site manager Mark Adamo who will handle day-to-day operations at the cocktail bar and slider bistro.
“We’ve been taking over bigger buildings because it’s hard to do 200- and 300-seat restaurants,” he said. “We’ve been splitting them up into smaller concepts so that we have a different appeal. We can attract a customer potentially multiple times a month by offering different atmospheres, different menus and stuff like that.”
Shift Kitchen specializes in “shared plates” prepped to pair with craft cocktails and wine. The food menu will include lamb lollipops, seared tuna, mezza plate, tuna tartare, filet bites and other dishes. It will have 60 indoor seats and an outdoor patio along St. Clair Avenue with 24 seats, according to site plans.
Grosse Pointe city council members approved a liquor license for the building in March. Simon said he’s excited for the new restaurants to join the village’s bustling downtown food and retail scene during the height of summer.
“We’re under heavy construction right now trying to get things done as soon as possible,” he said. “That spring, summer business is always great when you have a patio. So we’re super excited.”
