New owners of the former Dearborn Andiamo property have big plans for the Michigan Avenue site, including a food hall concept.
The property was bought by real estate developer Aboudi Beydoun in February. Beydoun is also involved in the oil industry, owning multiple gas stations, and is a fuel provider in the metro area.
Also investing in the property and business is Ali Moubarak, a Dearborn attorney, and Karl Makky and Tony Duhani, owners of Avenue American Bistro in Wayne.
Plans are for a “high-end culinary experience” called Boardwalk Eateries, Beydoun told the Free Press. There will be 10 food stalls offering different concepts, from chicken to smoothies and juices to Asian fusion and Mediterranean handheld foods.
All the food offerings will be certified halal. Halal, the Arabic word meaning “permitted,” refers to Islamic dietary laws requiring a prescribed method of slaughter.
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The main restaurant will be approximately 15,000 square feet — the majority of the overall 21,000-square-foot interior.
“Each vendor will be in charge of its own stall,” Beydoun said.
Seating will include about 350 inside the food hall area along with outdoor patio space behind the building.
“We wanted to have different concepts, so everybody can come here for a meal,” Beydoun said. “It’s a place to bring the whole family. “
Makky and Duhani will oversee the eatery operations.
The former banquet side of Andiamo will transform into a 24-hour co-working space. “There will be multi-conference rooms and individual and shared office spaces for rent with a variety of terms,” Moubarak said.
The co-working space will have private access to the food hall, but be completely separate.
Among the other potential plans is an upstairs speakeasy accessible through a hidden door, Beydoun said. There are also plans for a cigar bar.
Beydoun’s original plan was to turn the space into a banquet hall with 30% of the space devoted to a fine dining restaurant.
“This building is one of the jewel properties of Dearborn,” Beydoun said. “Location-wise, it’s good for downtown Dearborn.”
He noted the ample parking, the Amtrak station across the street, and that the property sits along an elevated boardwalk, hence the Boardwalk Eateries name.
The boardwalk is an extension of the Rouge River Gateway Trail behind the property. It’s a paved pathway for walkers, runners and bicyclists that goes through areas such as Henry Ford estate, the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Henry Ford College campuses.
The Joe Vicari Restaurant Group announced the Dearborn location would close in February.
The Dearborn Andiamo opened in 2004 on the north side of Michigan Avenue in the city’s west business district. It was formerly the Chicago Roadhouse.
The group of new owners, who paid $2.6 million for the Dearborn property and its contents, recently put all the equipment from ovens to chillers to meat slicers up for auction bidding. Tables, chairs, silverware, serving utensils, plates and glassware were offered. Even the internal doors were up for bid. The auction closed Oct. 6.
Work on gutting the interior and remodeling is expected to start soon. A target opening date is May 2022.
Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Sue Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: 313-222-6872 or [email protected]. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
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https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/dining/2021/10/12/dearborn-andiamo-boardwalk-eateries-food-hall/6097258001/
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