Editor’s note: This story was supported by funding from New Economy Initiative, a philanthropic collaboration and special project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan working to build a regional network of support for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Omar Mitchell just can’t seem to catch a break. 

A week after the Easter 2019 opening of the chef’s fine-dining restaurant Table No. 2 in the Bagley community, a nine-month streetscape project began on Livernois, sinking sales at Mitchell’s upstart business by an estimated 70%.

After the project wrapped, the COVID-19 pandemic crept in, upending the industry and prompting thousands of restaurant closures, including Mitchell’s.

Table No. 2 has since found a new home on Brush Street in Detroit’s Greektown, but Mitchell’s business is strained again. This time, alongside other eateries in the district after construction of a long-awaited streetscape revamp began in March.

“They closed the streets down for construction the day after St. Patrick’s Day and since then, we’ve lost about 90% of our business,” Mitchell told BridgeDetroit. “We literally have to stand outside of our door and wave folks to come into the restaurant because they can’t find it. It’s just bad.”

The Monroe Streetscape Transformation Project is years in the making and aims to reinvigorate Greektown with new event space and outdoor seating, wider sidewalks, single-lane traffic, granite pavers, lamps, trees and other amenities to ensure it stays relevant for future generations.

Athina Papas, chair and president of the nonprofit Greektown Neighborhood Partnership, said she understands the challenges businesses and visitors are navigating, but the district has always been a “beacon of light” in Detroit. As the city grows, Greektown has to evolve, too, she said

“As the city continued to grow and expand, which is great, we started realizing we’re maybe just kind of stuck, we’re a little bit complacent with where we’re at,” she said. “We just weren’t thriving like we used to be, because there were other places like Capitol Park, Campus Martius and other areas around.”

Papas said the streetscape project, supported by a $20 million state grant, is fueled by a community-led, privately funded framework plan that began with talks dating back to 2017. The development area spans three-and-a-half blocks of Monroe from Randolph to the mid-block before the I-375 interchange. 

Greektown is home to about 18 businesses, including mainstays like Golden Fleece, Pegasus and Astoria Pastry Shop as well as the Firebird Tavern, Redsmoke Barbeque and newer establishments like Table No. 2 at Brush and Monroe streets. 

Overall, on average, Papas said Greektown businesses have seen about a 10 to 15% drop in sales due to the construction. 

“It depends on the business and the programming that each is doing within their own operations,” she said. “It was community-led, we were all in it. We said, ‘Yes, we want to do it because the long-term benefit will be worth it.’ But then, when you actually see all of this construction, probably you hit a little panic and your sales are dropping.”

Renderings of what Greektown will look like after the Monroe Streetscape Transformation Project concludes. (Greektown Neighborhood Partnership)

‘We’re in intensive care every day’

The streetscape was expected to wrap up next July, but unexpected issues with underground infrastructure have delayed those plans to late fall of 2026, Papas said. 

Yet, amid the fencing, work crews and mounds of dirt, there are signs of progress. 

St. Antoine from Lafayette Boulevard to Gratiot Avenue reopened in recent weeks for temporary two-way traffic, and Monroe from St. Antoine to I-375 is reopening this week to ease travel to the area and to the Hollywood Casino at Greektown parking garage. Efforts are also underway to open shuttered sections of Beaubien and Brush to vehicular traffic. Papas reinforced that there are 6,000 parking spots within a two-block radius and that the whole district remains open to pedestrian traffic. 

“People see construction and get scared,” said Papas, whose family owns and operates the Atheneum Hotel and Pegasus Taverna. “We remind a lot of folks, we are open for business. All the businesses are open.”

The construction is affecting all businesses in Greektown, but to varying degrees. 

Nico Gatzaros, owner of the longtime seafood restaurant Fishbones Rhythm Kitchen Cafe, said business has decreased by about 20%. 

“Our regulars and the whole community have been showing up on top of all this construction to support us,” he said. “People that come to Detroit, they want that unique food that all the restaurants in Greektown have to offer, from Fishbones to Pegasus to the Golden Fleece. You can’t find it anywhere else.” 

Gatzaros, who also owns other Fishbones locations in Southfield and St. Clair Shores, said he’s looking forward to the completed project. 

“It’s gonna be like nothing we’ve seen in a long time down here,” he said. “We know there’s great things on the horizon for our city and this area. We just got to get through a little bit of reorganization and some construction, and I think it’s going to level out here sooner than we think.” 

But for Table No. 2, Mitchell fears the inconveniences could be more dire. He said he learned details of the project earlier this year and didn’t realize how extensive the construction would be.

“You shut down the entire Greektown from both ways and there’s no way (customers) can get inside but walking up to it, that’s a problem, especially for me because my clientele is suit and ties and stilettos. They’re not gonna walk two or three blocks,” he said. 

Table No. 2 is the busiest on Fridays and Saturdays, Mitchell said, but even those days don’t bring in as much traffic as they used to. 

Before the construction, he would usually have an average of between 85 and 105 reservations on Friday nights and between 125 to 150 reservations on Saturday nights. On a recent Friday, Mitchell had 20 reservations and 35 reservations for the following day. 

Mitchell said he’s had to lay off about two dozen employees, including his sushi chef last month because of the project.Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock, which owns the building Table No. 2 occupies, has been flexible with rent, with Mitchell paying what he can each month, he said.

In an effort to bring people in the door, Mitchell and his staff began offering a tomahawk Thursday special in May, where two guests can share a three-course meal with a choice of tomahawk or porterhouse steaks for $125. He’s also in the process of turning the dining room into a pub for folks downtown who want to grab a drink. Mitchell plans to have his bar ready by Sept. 14 for the Detroit Lions game against the Chicago Bears. 

“We’re just trying to stay afloat,” Mitchell said. “It’s a tough battle for us. We’re in intensive care every day.” 

Tasso Teftsis explains the construction down the street from his Astoria Pastry Shop. (Christine Ferretti, BridgeDetroit)

‘We are here, we are open’ 

Tasso Teftsis, who co-owns Astoria Pastry Shop, Red Smoke Tavern and the former PizzaPapalis site in Greektown, acknowledged “everyone is frustrated” and portions of the project are “taking longer than we hoped.”

“But, in a couple of months, it’ll look differently,” said Teftsis, the neighborhood partnership’s vice president. “We’ll bring the sidewalks out to have a wider sidewalk to walk on and, by December, hopefully we’ll have concrete on the streets.”

Teftsis, who, along with Papas, is a second-generation Greek business owner in the district, said he believes it was the right time for the project despite the headaches.

“You have a choice now whether to do this or not to do this. Doing it, we’re able to compete with other neighborhoods for the future. Now, there’s a Greek saying, “‘An old man that plants a tree won’t see the shade.’ But, the younger people will. It’s important to get these things done for the future generations,” he said. 

“I know it’s taking a lot of time, and I know people are very frustrated. Some of the businesses are, some of the customers are, some don’t care.”

Teftsis, 65, said his father and mother founded the pastry shop in 1971. He joined in at age 14. Astoria is going to get its own facelift soon, with new showcases – the first time it’s undergone a full renovation since 1988, he said. 

For Astoria, “business is suffering,” but Teftsis hasn’t laid off any employees. Business is down about 25%, but the other 75% is still making it in, he said. 

“They (employees) are really loyal,” he said. “There is suffering, but (visitors) can get to parking spaces just like they always did.”

Yanni Dionisopoulos’ family has also owned businesses in Greektown for generations. The owner of Who Loves Ya Baby Country Music Bar said business at his establishment has gone down about 20% since the construction started. 

Dionisopoulos and his cousin, Spero Dionisopoulos, are the current owners of Golden Fleece, which was founded by their fathers, Niko and Vasili Dionisopoulos, in 1970. The cousins also operate the club upstairs from Golden Fleece, Exodus, and Dionisopoulos is co-owner of Delux Bar and Lounge. Additionally, Dionisopoulos owns three Airbnbs above the former Monroe Steakhouse on Monroe Street.

He said sales at his various businesses have remained steady for the most part. Dionisopoulos believes sales for Golden Fleece have decreased about 20%, while sales at Delux have gone down by 40%. 

“We had a decent Labor Day weekend. The Tigers were back in town, so that helped us out a lot,” he said. “And the Lions start playing next week, so we always do good for that. At Delux, summer is not our popular season because we’re an indoor bar, so it’s been challenging.” 

Delux only has a “handful of staff,” Dionisopoulos said, and he’s had to scrap its karaoke and game nights, as well as DJs on the weekends to save money. With the weather getting cooler soon, the business owner hopes that will bring more customers to the bar. 

“We’re very blessed and lucky to have loyal customers, and they come to us no matter what,” Dionisopoulos said. 

The Detroit Lions game kicks off on Sept. 14, and Papas also expects that will bring a new surge of visitors back into the area. Greektown has and will continue to offer its free shuttle service for sporting events and concerts. It is accessible at the intersection of Macomb and Beaubien and at Brush and Macomb streets. 

Some shops took part in district-wide events this summer, like a wine show and happy hour. Talks are now underway to determine a schedule of fall and winter events.

“A lot of businesses already have a happy hour, but we’re looking at ‘how do we market the district as a whole to encourage more traffic and just remind people that we are here, we are open,’” Papas said. 

In mid-August, a paver engraving program began to further engage the public. Individuals can pay $515 to have their own message placed on a brick that will be included with the new streetscape.

Once the curbless streetscape opens, more effort will go into weekend programs like live on-street music, outdoor dining and cultural festivals. 

The goal is to potentially become completely pedestrian in the future. The first couple years, Papas said, will be a test. 

The Greektown Neighborhood Partnership is hosting monthly meetings with the business community to provide project updates and to address concerns. 

Papas said she’s hopeful that the new design ultimately brings in more family-friendly businesses and stays true to its roots.

“Greektown was one of the places to go in downtown Detroit, and it may sound a bit cliche but I grew up going to Greektown, my family and my parents have invested a lot of time and energy in the district and the city,” she said. 

“While we may evolve to go along with the future and still attract new visitors, we still want to maintain some of our cultural heritage,” she added. “We can’t be everything to everybody, but I think we do our best to do that.”