ANN ARBOR, MI – A 24-hour Ann Arbor classic is back to its usual service, thanks to the support of its regular crowd during a challenging year caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fleetwood Diner, 300 South Ashley St., opened in its historic metal-walled building in 1949 as the Dagwood Diner – the restaurant was renamed as it changed ownership in the 1970′s.
When current owners Jeff and Andy Demitri took over the building with George Fotiadis in 1992, they introduced two things that Fleetwood became famous for – a 24-hour, 7 day schedule and the diner’s iconic “hippie hash.”
The Demitri brothers based the dish on scrambled farmhouse dishes from their native Albania. The name was meant to reflect the plate’s vegetarian nature while also recalling the counterculture that dominated Ann Arbor’s political scene in the 1960s and ’70s.
“I grew up on a farm in Europe, so that was my daily – picking up vegetables from the farm and cooking, trying to make myself whatever I could – dinner or breakfast,” Jeff Demitri said. “I said, ‘Well, I have all this stuff here, I should do it here too – try it for the people in Ann Arbor. I heard that there were a lot of people that were vegetarians, vegans. It was a great success.”
For years, townies and students alike have flocked to the small restaurant, covering the walls with bumper stickers inside and out and celebrating a late-night diner culture in the heart of downtown.
The menu has expanded over the years to include a wide slate of traditional breakfast options, corned beef Reuben sandwiches, gyro-style rotisserie, as well as burgers and coneys.
The Hippie Hash has grown with the restaurant, with Demitri adding corned beef, gyro meat, chicken and even tempeh to the dish to offer something for everyone. The hash can even be prepared vegan with the omission of feta cheese.
Fleetwood closes its doors only one full day a year – Christmas – and is open for half the day on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. With those exceptions, it had kept the lights on and the flat-top grill running 24/7 for 28 years before the pandemic hit.
The restaurant closed for just two months when the pandemic began in March 202, before reopening for carryout only – the tight indoor quarters meant customers had to order carryout and wait outside.
Recently, the diner has reopened for indoor dining, but Jeff Demitri said it wouldn’t have made it without the help of regular customers and University of Michigan students alike.
“A lot of people that came here were regulars – they supported this place during the pandemic,” he said. “We’ve got to say special thanks to all of them for supporting us during the hard times.”
For customers and employees alike the return to in-person dining is a relief. Server Brisilda Methasani said she and the restaurant’s other employees are excited to be back to seeing familiar faces.
“People you haven’t seen in literally a year, you’re like ‘Oh my god, I’m so happy to actually be seeing your face,’” she said.
With the pandemic beginning to subside, the restaurant hopes to capitalize on the draw of Ann Arbor’s slate of summer events – especially Art Fair – and the return of students in the fall.
“This summer is going to be a rejuvenating summer for everybody,” Methasani said. “What’s so special about Ann Arbor is that they do so many events to draw people in and keep things going downtown. That’s what we’ve always relied on.”
Jeff Demitri said he hopes to never have to shut Fleetwood’s doors again, both for the sake of his employees and for his own sanity.
“It was brutal for me, because I had to be here every day to make sure to let people know that we were still here, we weren’t going anywhere.” he said.
Fleetwood Diner, 300 South Ashley St., is open 24 hours a day, 364 days a year, closing only for Christmas Day and a half day on Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving. Customers can dine in or call ahead for carryout at 734-995-5502. More information is available at http://thefleetwooddiner.com/
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