Food & Drink

Hygrade Deli, a 49-year favorite in Detroit's Corktown, looks for buyer

March 04, 2021, 2:05 PM

Hygrade Deli, a savory slice of pure Detroit on Michigan Avenue for nearly half a century, invites purchase offers.


The owner's dad bought this building in February 1972. (Photos: Facebook)

The second-generation family business in Corktown "was listed on the market this week without an asking price," Aaron Mondry posts at Detour Detroit.

Hygrade owner Stuart Litt told Detour that the sale is not due to a Covid-19-induced decline. ... "I'm testing the waters to see how much interest there'd be in the building and property," Litt said. ...

But because business has been good, Litt's not in a rush. If he doesn't get an offer he likes, he'll continue working as he always has. ... "I'm not gonna give the place away."


Stuart Litt and Mayor Mike Duggan in 2018. "I'm not getting any younger," the 65-year-old owner says now.

In a "happy anniversary to us" Facebook post last month, the 65-year-old owner said: "On Feb. 2,1972 my dad [Bernie] took the keys as the new owner of Hygrade Deli. I have been here practically every step of the way."

In January, Food & Wine saluted the deli in a national roundup of "The Best Sandwich in Every State." The magazine recommends its "big, beautiful Reuben sandwich or a plain old corned beef on rye with mustard."

The "beloved" business' location on Michigan at Roosevelt Street could boost its value, Mondry notes at Detour:

The property is less than a mile away from Michigan Central Station, and its $740-million redevelopment by Ford Motor Company has caused a spike in nearby property values in recent years.

It's listed by Colliers International Detroit, which says the current sales level is 20 percent higher than during the first quarter of 2020.


Read more:  Detour Detroit


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