Respected restaurateur Frank Taylor brings fine food, unfailing good faith, enthusiastic service and grand settings to downtown Detroit dining
By Joe Mooney Photography by Bill Bowen
Frank Taylor sounds a rare note in the restaurant business today — the ring of optimism. Indeed, to meet Taylor, the CEO and president of Southern Hospitality Restaurant Group, is to be reminded that positive thinking is in too short supply in a world that seems to run on pessimistic fuel.
Southern Hospitality
Conceptually, Taylor’s Detroit restaurants — Seldom Blues Jazz Restaurant & Supper Club and Detroit’s Breakfast House & Grill at Merchants Row, both downtown — carve out bold visions in an era of restaurant sameness. Southern Hospitality’s restaurants not only refuse to bend to the next “big thing,” but they also harken back to a time when grandeur, service and setting were as important to a restaurant’s success as the food.
Visit Detroit met up with Taylor for lunch at Seldom Blues, Taylor’s sophisticated jazz supper club nestled in a tower of the Renaissance Center. Over crab cakes, barbecued roasted bass and the chef’s blue-plate special, Taylor discussed his background, his restaurants, his philosophy and what makes The D a special place to be in the food business.
What’s your background? Is it in the restaurant business?
I started in the hotel business when I was 15 as a dishwasher at a Holiday Inn in Houston. The general manager said that anyone who applied for a job in a three-piece suit was hired. I worked throughout high school at that particular hotel — every afternoon and evening — and went to college in the morning. I worked every position in the hotel.
During that time, I started reading about the restaurant industry. It’s funny, because as a kid, I always thought I wanted to be a lawyer or a doctor, but when I took the dishwashing job at Holiday Inn, and started watching my general manager, I knew instantly what I wanted to do.
What is one of your biggest challenges in your business?
For me, it’s the economy. When times are tough, the first thing to go is entertainment. People start saving for other things. But when people ask me about challenges, I also say, “It’s all about your commitment.” You have to be committed, because the restaurant business is so fickle.
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1. Detroit’s Breakfast House & Grill at Merchants Row
1241 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, 48226 DD
(313) 961-1115
2. Seldom Blues Jazz Restaurant & Supper Club
400 Renaissance Center
Detroit, 48243 DD
(313) 567-7301
www.seldomblues.com
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What’s special for you about the city of Detroit? And why did you choose to locate all of your restaurants downtown?When I moved here, I thought we needed something we could boast about, like a Chicago or a New York. I chose downtown because I wanted people to recognize the city as one of the great places in the country. I envisioned helping make Detroit a world-class city. And the love and support from the community have really made Detroit a very special place. The people have supported me, and cherished and appreciated what I’ve tried to do for the city.
Is there a “Detroit flavor,” so to speak, in the restaurants here? What do Detroiters like to eat?
What I’ve found is that Detroiters love great, unique food. But they also want everything from comfort to elegant — all the way from our fried lobster tail to the braised short rib.
Would you say that your restaurants have their own personality?
I think that each restaurant does take on its own personality. For example, Seldom Blues reminds people of the old-fashioned upscale jazz supper club atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun, with great food and a great buzz. You can feel it when you walk in. That starts with an energetic, enthusiastic staff and trickles down not only to the front of the house, but the back of the house as well.
What sort of trends are you seeing in restaurants? Anything new in Detroit?
There are a lot of trends. But with trends, you get the feeling sometimes that when you go out to different places to eat, it’s like it all seems the same after a while. You go out to eat and end up saying, “This is where I ate last night.” So we try to stay away from trends. We do keep up with what’s going on, but we don’t want to just follow the latest hot thing.
You also have a breakfast restaurant. That seems — if you’re not a chain — a daring or unusual concept. What was your inspiration for opening up Detroit’s Breakfast House?
I saw a niche in the market where we could do an upscale breakfast place and do it right. Detroit’s Breakfast House has been open two years and it’s incredibly popular. If you go there on a Saturday or a Sunday and don’t have reservations, you may end up waiting a bit.
Your menus don’t really follow the global or fusion trends. But there are a lot of Southern influences, such as sweet potato in various forms, stewed tomatoes, Cajun. Are you going for a Southern theme?
[Laughs] I can’t get away from my Southern background. And I have found that a lot of people in Detroit appreciate those Southern accents, too.
With the jazz offerings at Seldom Blues, it looks like you’re trying to create a jazz scene downtown.
When I first came here, I didn’t see many places where you could listen to jazz and have a great meal — a supper club experience. I’m a jazz enthusiast, so I wanted to create a place where people could come down and listen to local and national jazz and have a true dining experience.
Seldom Blues — where did the name come from?
When I was involved in putting together the concept in North Carolina, my partner and I were talking about names, and my love for music, jazz, blues, and the whole dinner service. I wanted a restaurant where people could come in and listen to some great jazz, and on occasion some blues. So I suggested Seldom Blues because it’s jazz all the time, but sometimes blues.
Your love of music is evident. Do you play an instrument?
I love the saxophone. Back in 1992, I bought a sax because I wanted to learn how to play it, but I haven’t had the time.
What do you like to cook at home — or do you even have the time?
Since I work six days a week, Sundays are family day. I love food, and of course, being from Texas, I’m a steak-and-potato kind of guy, so I like to cook some sort of steak at home. I also love Italian food.
Detroit has a lot of history. Do you have any favorite local haunts, eateries or clubs you like to go to?
I like to visit the Motown Historical Museum. I had a family reunion about three years ago, and I had to take everyone to the Motown museum so we could see where stars like Stevie Wonder got their start. We also love going to the Henry Ford Museum.
Joe Mooney has been writing about food for various publications for more than 10 years, and he has contributed to the restaurant coverage in Visit Detroit since 1997.
