This July, the Detroit Shipping Company's Eatery Finally Opens

This July, Detroit foodies can finally experience the city’s first shipping container food court. And while terms like “shipping container” and “food court” probably don’t conjure images of world-class eateries and hipster dining at its very finest, that’s exactly what the Detroit Shipping Company has to offer Detroit denizens.

Eater Detroit has images of the unique space, with rippled, steel-colored shipping containers stacked atop each other like building blocks.

According to Eater Detroit:

Diners have doggedly followed the progress on the Cass Corridor shipping container building for months, patiently awaiting the opening amid seemingly endless delays. Altogether the building cost upwards of $3 million or “triple the time and double the budget,” as co-founder James Therkalsen tells it.

So far, a number of restaurants have already opened in the Detroit Shipping Company’s micro spaces. There’s Brujo Tacos & Tapas from Chef Petro Drakopoulos, 96 Street Food from chef Genevieve Vang, and Coop, a Caribbean restaurant from chef Maxcel Hardy. In addition, a coffee house, sandwich shop, burger joint, and ice cream parlor are also set to open their tiny doors to the public.

The food hall is the brainchild of partners Jonathan Hartzell and James Therkalsen, who have seen the project through numerous delays and obstacles. In the future, the duo envisions a communal space where patrons can enjoy dinner, drinks, and entertainment from local Detroit artists.

The space provides both indoor and outdoor dining, and it is built from 21 shipping containers stacked and nestled together.

The global freight industry uses millions of steel shipping containers, many of which are getting new life as tiny houses, portable buildings, classrooms, and now, food halls. In fact, if every shipping container in the world was placed end to end, they would circle the planet twice over. Because these containers are built to withstand extreme conditions, they can last for decades in such after-market applications.

In total, the 21 shipping containers that make up the Detroit Shipping Company provide 10,000 square feet of daring Detroit dining.
You can find the Detroit Shipping Company in the Cass Corridor.