New Detroit Soul restaurant location gets boost from Motor City Match

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Tuesday meant celebration time for two Detroit entrepreneurs who are growing their footprint in the restaurant industry

From their first Detroit Soul location on E. Eight Mile to their newest one on East Jefferson which opens this week in a historic former Kresge department store location, at Lakewood.

They say the road to fulfilling their dreams hasn’t been easy.

"We hit a few bumps across the road as we finished the build-out," said Samuel Van Buren, owner.

So these entrepreneurs applied to the Motor City Match program and won.

"This is the 142nd Motor City Match business that will be open in the city of Detroit, and these two brothers are just a really great example of why we started the program," said Drew Lucco, director of Motor City Match.

Samuel Van Buren and Jerome Brown said winning the competition and the monetary award came at just the right time because getting materials for their new location was impacted by inflation and supply chain issues.

"A year ago when we planned to open another Detroit Soul, the cost of materials and supplies were not what they are now, and so we had a gap," said Jerome Brown, owner.

But Motor City Match helped to fill the void.

"We were awarded $60,000. and it seems like a lot of money and it is," Brown said.

Mayor Mike Duggan says Detroit Soul’s newest location is part of a new beginning for Detroit’s east side.

"We were here just a couple of months ago with an apartment building that has been closed for a decade, and it’s been renovated and filled," Duggan said. "We’re going to have another apartment building filled across the street so for Jerome and Sam you’re going to have more customers."

Detroit Soul dishes out comfort food like macaroni and cheese and crispy fried chicken.

"It means everything to the community," said Dwayne Richardson, customer. "It means everything to me, because we need this and actually this shows that start from nothing and build something up."

If you are an entrepreneur who believes they qualify for Motor City Match competition, the time to apply is now.

"Motor City Match at Round 22 applications are currently open until January 15, the program is intended to meet at any stage of development,"

For details on the application process go HERE.