A new soul food restaurant is opening in the former Bahia space on Union Street, longtime local food truck Steve’s Smokin’ BBQ is opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Garfield Avenue – coupled with new sister restaurant Firebird Pizza – and more businesses are on the move in The Ticker’s latest roundup of restaurant and retail news.

Bushell’s
Restaurateur Andre Bushell – co-owner of Foundry Craft Grillery and Dreloco Taco – is opening a new soul food restaurant in the former Bahia space at 127 South Union Street.

Bushell and his wife Kelci are targeting a soft opening next week of Bushell’s Kitchen + Cocktails. “We believe it is time to diversify the downtown area by creating a space that represents our childhood and Black culture,” Bushell says. “As an African American boy growing up, I was deeply influenced by the rich culinary traditions and the strong sense of community that soul food embodies.” The menu – informed by recipes from Bushell’s family – will include “classics like collard greens, yams, fried chicken, oxtail, and much more, each dish telling a story of heritage and love,” he says.

Bushell’s will offer a craft cocktail menu, as well as a variety of mocktails. Interior updates are intended to “create an inviting atmosphere where guests can relax, indulge, and share laughs with friends and family,” Bushell says. “Our aim is to offer more than just a dining experience. We want to provide an immersive atmosphere as well.” Soft opening hours will be Wednesday-Sunday 3pm-10pm.

Steve’s Smokin’ BBQ & Firebird Pizza
Steve’s Smokin’ BBQ – a staple since 2001 of events like the National Cherry Festival and Northwestern Michigan Fair – is targeting a July 15 opening for a new brick-and-mortar location in the former Eastfield Party Store space at 831 South Garfield Avenue. Father-and-son duo Steve and Logan Randell are also launching a sister restaurant at the same location called Firebird Pizza. The two fast-casual eateries will have separate ordering areas but a common dining room. The space has undergone extensive renovations to make it restaurant-ready since the Randells acquired the property in 2019.

Steve’s Smokin’ BBQ will feature many favorites from the truck – including pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs with a St. Louis-style dry rub, chicken, and once-a-week turkey legs – plus some new features like smoked sausage. Firebird Pizza will feature 10-11-inch Neapolitan-style pies made to order in a brick oven, with customers able to customize their toppings as well as optional “drizzle finishers,” according to Logan Randell. Planned hours are Monday-Saturday (closed Sunday) 11am-9pm.

More openings, closings, and moves...
Two local businesses have been resurrected thanks to dedicated customers who didn’t want to see their favorite spots disappear. Adam Schraufnagel and his wife Samantha Bissell formed a partnership with Becky Barker – former manager of Cast Iron Kitchen off US-31 in Chums Corner – to reopen a restaurant in the building called The Local’s Place. “We both still have full-time jobs and really just reopened this place because of our love for Becky...and the staff that was here before,” says Schraufnagel. “I was a regular daily customer. I had never spent one day in the restaurant industry prior to doing this other than being a customer.” He adds the trio created the new company “based solely on good food, good people, and good prices.” The Local’s Place is open daily from 6:30am to 2pm.

After Solitude & Wellness Spa  announced it was closing its doors at 111 East Front Street earlier this year, former owners Matt Davis and Sarah Ward recently shared that one of their “favorite customers came to the rescue with serious intention and undaunting will.” Sarah Lee Sullivan has since purchased and reopened the business with partner and co-owner Andy Marek. “We hope the transition will be so smooth and seamless you won’t even know that there was a change in ownership,” the new owners posted on social media.

Also on Front Street, Kari Jansen has opened new spa, boutique, and gathering space Poppy and Someday next to Paesano’s. The space offers Ayurvedic massage services, Reiki and sound therapy treatments, handcrafted herbal beauty blends, pottery products, and more. The retail boutique and spa is open Saturday from 1pm to 4pm and at other times by appointment. At 108 East Front Street, Outpost TC has reopened its doors after being closed for several months for renovations. The café offers coffee, pastries, sandwiches, wine, and treats Thursday-Monday 8am-2pm, with plans to soon expand the hours and menu. Just outside of downtown on Bay Street near the M-72/M-22 intersection, Frozen Concoctions truck owner Ben Will can be found serving up New Zealand-style ice cream – also known as real fruit ice cream – most days when not off-site for special events.

Elsewhere downtown, Monica and John Steen have launched a new business called Romero Baking Co. The bakery stand is open daily from 7am to 9:30pm at 811 South Union Street. Customers can grab a variety of treats – including specialty cookies, scones, “Secret Chex Mix,” marshmallow squares, and more – and use cash or Venmo as payment. Current lineups of available treats are posted to the company’s Facebook page. Those looking for baked goods can also check out Cafe Lobdell’s on the second floor of NMC’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute on East Front Street this summer. No reservations are required for the cafe, which operates Tuesday-Thursday 7:30am-11am from June 25 to July 31 (closed July 4). Culinary students will be serving up pastries, quiche, yogurt parfaits, breakfast bowls, specialty coffee drinks, and more.

A new dog bar has opened in Chums Corner at 4277 Village Park Drive near Turtle Creek Stadium. Joy and Dan Goodchild are the owners of K&A Hop Dogs (named for their own dogs Koda and Abbey), a year-round social environment for dogs and their owners. The property has a designated off-leash area for dogs, an expansive outdoor area, and an indoor pub featuring craft beer, wine, cider, specialty spirits, and NA options. “Like many others, we've been to a wide range of dog parks but we just wanted more for our dogs – we especially wanted them to be safe,” Joy Goodchild says, with dogs required to be vaccinated and socialized in order to be admitted. K&A Hop Dogs is open Monday-Thursday 2pm-10pm and Friday-Saturday 12pm-11pm (closed Sunday), with plans for special offerings like a July Paint-and-Sip event and a Rescue Ale on tap that supports Michigan rescues. A variety of dog memberships are available; humans enter for free except during ticketed events.

Kingsley Local Brewing has added a food truck for more on-site dining options this summer. The menu features options including smash burgers, quesadillas, three-cheese mac, sandwiches, and more. Also in the village, Kingsley Dance Company – which started with 30 kids in 2019 and has since more than doubled in size – is moving into bigger digs this month at 100 Clark Street. The new building has a reception room and two dance rooms, one of which can be used for events and rentals. A grand opening celebration will be held June 27 from 6pm to 8pm.

Multiple local businesses are undergoing ownership and/or operational changes. Dilbert’s Cafe off US-31 in Interlochen is under new ownership, with Nick and Hannah Swartz taking the reins with plans to maintain the restaurant’s popular “homestyle cooking” along with new daily specials. Firefly and Bubba’s co-founder Jeff Wiltse has sold his shares of the restaurants to long-time general managers Brad Patterson (Bubba’s) and Travis Baird (Firefly). Co-founder Trish Sawyer is staying on as CFO/treasurer, while Mindy Theis has bought a minority stake of both restaurants.

The Traverse City Country Club has just completed a $3 million, six-month renovation of its main dining rooms. “We are thrilled to be able to offer our members this elevated dining experience, which includes a private dining room, transformed lounge and grill, and most significantly an exclusive fine dining experience that cannot be found in Traverse City,” the organization said in a release. Members – which total over 1,200 – approved the renovations to continue the club’s “rich history for years to come,” according to the release.

Make Believe Pizza and Oryana are both expanding their hours/offerings. Make Believe Pizza, which operates inside West Side Beverage on West Front Street, now serves pizza by the slice for lunch from 11am-2pm Thursday-Saturday in addition to dinner service, which focuses on whole pies available for pre-order from 10am-2pm and pickup from 4pm-8pm. Oryana has announced all of its culinary departments are now open 8am-6pm seven days a week, including the Tenth Street Café, hot bar, West coffee bar, and West salad bar and culinary department.

Finally, two local business are shutting their doors. Grand Traverse Salad Company abruptly closed recently on South Airport Road, with owners stating on social media that they “decided to close the restaurant and enjoy some much-needed vacation time.” Scrubs R Us is holding a closing sale on Long Lake Road – posted hours are Tuesday-Friday 8am-5pm and Saturday 10am-5pm – as the business winds down, with an official closing date to soon be announced.