A budding South Michigan entrepreneur is bringing another “tayste” of his halal-inspired mega burgers, loaded cheesy fries and fried chicken wings to the downriver market.
Ali Jawad is working to open a Taystee’s Burgers carry-out inside the Amoco gas station at 12961 Dix Toledo Road in Southgate later this year.
Southgate’s planning commission held a May 8 public hearing for the restaurant, reviewing its site plan and considering a special use permit for the future location.
Jawad and his team will upgrade the building’s front exterior and complete a full overhaul of the interior to transform the convenience store into a carry-out fast casual, according to the site plans.
The Amoco sits at Dix Toledo’s bustling intersection at Northline Road
“The neighborhood here, they like this idea,” said Hassan Leila, who is working with Jawad to bring the new Taystee’s to fruition. “After we did a survey in the area and we bought in on the building, a lot of people are waiting for us to come.”
Jawad, Taystee’s founder, made Forbes’ Top 30 under 30 list in 2021. Three weeks shy of his 21st birthday, Jawad dropped out of Oakland University and drained his life savings, the magazine noted in his profile. Jawad used the money to open a burger joint inside the convenience store of a BP gas station his grandfather owned in Dearborn. His halal twist on American burgers, wings and hotdogs became a success and Taystee’s took off from there.
The Dearborn burger hut at 10419 Ford Road remains Taystee’s flagship location. The growing metro Detroit franchise also has a presence in Dearborn Heights and Ann Arbor.
The latest link in the chain opened Friday at 30953 Mound Road in Warren. More Taystee’s Burgers are in the pipeline for Taylor, St. Clair Shores, Northville and Shelby Township.
The chain offers halal dishes with a focus on specialty burgers like its signature Ali’s Notch-Yo-Burger. The Southgate location will feature a Custard Company ice cream parlor, site plans indicated.
The Dearborn-based frozen treat shop is known for specialty menu items such as the Sweet Bun, the Wowffle, and their Injected Loaded Cones, according to its website.
Taystee’s developers are still applying for permits to start reconstruction. Leila wasn’t sure when the restaurant will open but expects the buildout to take at least three months once it begins.
