Detroit-born restaurant comes to DTW

ROMULUS, Michigan (FOX 2) – Iconic brand Born in Detroit is opening a restaurant in Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County’s McNamara Terminal, expanding its presence following success at the NFL Draft in May.

The pop-up shop was an overnight hit during the citywide event, which drew hundreds of thousands of people, with its co-owner calling it a “wild success” with merchandise selling like hotcakes.

And since then the fun has just continued.

“We were on the corner of Grand River and Woodward. We were there right from the start, where people started pouring in. We had incredible traffic and sales far exceeded our expectations,” said Michael Tomey.

Now Born in Detroit has taken on a new challenge: opening a restaurant at Detroit Metro Airport.

It offers travelers a taste of the city and everything Detroit has to offer before they even board the plane.

“I mean, you have to have Coneys and we have to serve Vernors. We make a Moscow Mule with our vodka and a shot of Vernors in it,” Tomey said. “We call it the Detroit Donkey.”

There will also be Detroit style pizza and of course the matching merchandise.

“We believe a lot of people from out of town want to come to this restaurant because they think, ‘I’m in Detroit. Let me do something in Detroit.’ And we’re right there,” Tomey said.

The branch will open in May 2025.