What’s happening: The Avenue of Fashion is about to add a touch of tasty to the style that has come to define its stretch of Livernois Avenue. A grand opening for Waffle Café Detroit, a Black-owned restaurant that features more than 45 specialty waffles, is scheduled for Thursday, June 1.
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A sneak peek of the Lobster Waffle at Waffle Café Detroit. (Courtesy of Waffle Café Detroit)What it is: Waffle Café Detroit specializes in sweet and savory waffles, its menu featuring dozens of varieties on the breakfast classic that will keep the restaurant open for not only breakfast but also lunch and dinner. There’s the classic Belgian waffle, but also everything from Buffalo chicken to loaded baked potato waffles. Other menu items announced by the restaurant include the bacon, egg, and cheese waffle burrito, and, in the colder months, soups served in waffle bowls. Hand-dipped ice cream, hot and iced coffee, and vegan and vegetarian options are also planned.
Familiar faces: Waffle Café Detroit is owned by Kimyana Freeman and Larry Phillips, partners in K&L Legacy Enterprise, the parent company of Waffle Café Detroit. Freeman had previously owned Just A Bit of Soul Breakfast Café prior to her business partnership with Phillips, which closed due to hardships wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. They consider Waffle Café Detroit a rebranding of sorts, hence the “Est. 2017” tagline in their new logo (
...and high marks from this writer for their “Everyday We Waffle’n” catchphrase, too).
What they’re saying: “Our mission is to provide amazing food with friendly service in a relaxing environment,” native Detroiter and owner Kimyana Freeman says in a statement. “Waffle Café Detroit is not just a place to grab a bite to eat, it’s a place to restore relationships, a place to create memories, and a place to bring families together.”
“Keeping the customer satisfied is a priority of our business,” says her partner, Larry Phillips.
Where and when: The grand opening for Waffle Café Detroit is scheduled from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to be held at 10 a.m. prior to their opening to the public. Normal hours of operation will be Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Waffle Café Detroit is located at 18685 Livernois in Detroit.
*A previous version of this story had listed Freeman and Phillips as co-owners of Just A Bit of Soul. It has been corrected to reflect that Freeman owned Just A Bit of Soul prior to her business partnership with Phillips.
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