A couple of familiar faces returning to the metro Detroit dining scene plan to launch their rebirth from familiar confines.
Veteran restaurant owners David and Susan Pendy are embarking on a new venture in an upscale suburb of Grosse Pointe Woods. They intend to open Pendy’s Grosse Pointe, a fine dining sit-down grill, at 20930 Mack Ave., according site plans being considered by officials.
The Pendy’s are taking over the storefront formerly occupied by Trattoria Serventi, an upscale Italian bistro at the corner of Mack Avenue and Hampton Road.
Trattoria closed its doors for the last time Thursday, owner Joe Serventi announced on social media last week. The Pendy’s have assumed ownership of the restaurant and are preparing to foot the bill for a full makeover estimated to cost between $600,000 to $1 million, city records indicate.
The new owners have requested that Trattoria’s liquor license be transferred over to them. Grosse Pointe Woods held a public hearing this week to hear from community members on the issue. City council is expected to vote on tentative approval for Pendy’s liquor license May 1.
If it gets the green light there, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission will make the final decision on the proposed transfer at a date yet to be determined.
Both David and Susan Pendy acted as directors, managers and chief operating officers at several county clubs in Michigan, Maryland and Missouri from 2004 to 2018.
For years, David Pendy co-owned the Hill Seafood & Chophouse in Grosse Pointe Farms, which opened in 2000 and was named Restaurant of the Year by Hour Magazine and The Detroit Free Press a year later.
A new ownership team took over the chophouse in 2020 and replaced it with The Bronze Door several months later, DBusiness Magazine reported.
“We are highly respected in the industry due to our successful restaurants and long tenure of ownership in restaurants of the kind,” David Pendy said during his March 2 deposition for the liquor license. “We have nearly 40 years each of successfully managing fine dining establishments.”
The husband-wife duo signed a five-year lease agreement with Couvreur Family Limited Partnership in March 2022. The lease kicks in if and when the state liquor board approves the license transfer, according to stipulations in the contract.
Pendy’s Grosse Pointe is slated to open seven days a week.
Brian Granowicz, an award-winning chef with over 35 years of experience, , will helm the kitchen. Granowicz spent more than two decades as executive chef at the Birmingham Country Club.
He will oversee a homespun menu inherited from Trattoria that includes linguine with sauteed chicken tenderloin, gnocchi, fettuccini alfredo, pizza, traditional sausages, mushroom risotto, steak cuts, veal, seafood and chicken dishes, pork chops and prime rib. Pendy’s will also serve wine and cocktails, according to plans.
There was no definitive timetable for when the new restaurant’s grand opening is expected. The owners could not be reached for comment by Friday.
Pendy’s Facebook page slated the opening for May.
