Grand Trunk Pub

Overview

The Grand Trunk Pub has a rich Detroit history dating back to 1905, when it was a ticket station for the Grand Trunk Railway. After serving as a transportation hub for decades, the building became a bar and kitchen for the Metropole Hotel before we bought it in 2006 and transformed it into the beloved establishment it is today.

Traub Brothers were among Detroit’s original downtown jewelers. In 1879, they moved from Downtown, near the waterfront at the time, to ‘Up-Town’ and into this building. Here, they introduced the Orange Blossom Engagement Ring, which took the country by storm. It became the must-have engagement ring and catapulted Traub into national recognition. They quickly outgrew the building and sold it to the Grand Trunk Railway in 1905.

The Grand Trunk Railroad began in Montreal in the mid-1800s and arrived in Detroit in 1879. By 1903, they wanted a presence in glamorous downtown Detroit and purchased this building from Traub Brothers for a formal ticket station.

The second floor was ripped out and replaced with an elegant vaulted ceiling, ornate plaster, and brass chandeliers. The upper floors became Grand Trunk offices and storage. The old rail trunks we discovered upstairs now adorn the Whisky Parlor. The ticket station opened in 1905, its grandeur reflecting the far-reaching might and elegance of the Grand Trunk Railroad.

By 1935, the automobile had put passenger rail travel into decline. Grand Trunk shifted its focus to freight, selling the ticket station. For decades, the country would see the iconic blue-and-white GT boxcars. Grand Trunk was eventually absorbed by Canadian National Rail in the 1980s.

That same year, the Metropole Hotel, located two doors up Woodward, needed a bar and kitchen. The long, elegant ticket counter made a perfect bar, and we have been here ever since.

One hundred years later, in 2006, my father died, and I figured I was going to do some drinking. I stumbled into Foran’s Pub one night and ended up drinking with John Foran Jr. We poured Whisky on the floor for our fathers, and I told him I wanted to buy his bar.

Detroit was a sad place then, and it suited my mood. It was also a huge part of my father, who was always hopeful about the city’s future. Though I was in a dark place, I wanted to pull myself—and a small part of my Forefathers’ city—up and out of the ditch. Etched into the operating agreement of the pub is the decree that every glass raised here is raised in honor of my father.

Through hard work, dedication, and in honor of my family, Grand Trunk has become a successful downtown fixture with historic preservation at its core. We strive to ensure that as Detroit evolves, parts of the ‘Original Detroit’ remain intact. It is the reason we bought the Checker Bar right down the street.

I believe in Detroit. When others questioned my sanity, I dove right in. For me, being part of Detroit meant opening and building a sustainable business in one of the most authentic and fundamental ways possible.

As we researched vendors, it made no sense to purchase beer and other products from large distributors based outside Michigan. We pushed ‘Made in Michigan’ to new levels, sourcing ingredients locally whenever possible and pioneering the concept of serving only Michigan beer.

Love and Action for the Community and the Environment. It feels right because it is. There’s a reason we’ve been featured by Esquire, The New York Times, Better Homes & Gardens, The Detroit News, and others.

The pub combines several great passions of mine: Detroit Community, Food, and Architecture. Fortunately, this has allowed us to grow without becoming a corporate machine. We weren’t funded or financed, and we are constantly evolving and learning from our mistakes. What remains constant is our pride in this history and the care and love we pour into every glass and dish.

If you are looking for a place serving up True Detroit Pride and Grit—you have found it. Detroit has taught me fierce pride and rugged confidence. To me, this city has more soul, depth, story, promise, and diversity than any other city in the world.

Thank you for your many years of patronage and your commitment to supporting local businesses. Raise a pint to Detroit, to our Forefathers who built it—and to us, you and I, who with this very pint continue to build it here at Grand Trunk Pub.