A longtime burger restaurant in downtown Birmingham is closing this month, but not for long.
Hunter House is building a new location at the former KFC building south of the city’s downtown, 33900 Woodward Avenue. This follows the business serving the public for over 70 years. Right now, the business is operating out of a food truck at the site, and staff are hoping to open the new location by early 2026.
Part of the reason for the move is a long legal battle with Hunter House’s landlord, according to an article from Crain’s Detroit Business. This on top of an aging building made the owners Susan and Kelly Cobb feel that a move was necessary. The last day of operations for the 35075 Woodward Avenue location was on Oct. 31.
Kelly told What Now Detroit the new location will have improvements like more parking and additional seating. It is a large undertaking, but he and Susan believe the community will enjoy it.
“It’s going to be a fantastic improvement for our customers,” Kelly said.
Founded as a diner in 1952, Hunter House became popular for their sliders, which are small hamburgers with juicy onions and steamed buns. It is named after John W. Hunter who was a founder of Birmingham in the early 1800s. Hunter House was founded by Don Ellenwood and eventually taken over by Al and Martha Papazian, the parents of Susan.
The recently closed location was a late-night burger restaurant with outdoor seating, keeping with the dinner theme. Their burgers come in multiple sizes, single, double and triple, and sides like fries, tater tots and onion rings are offered. The menu also features sandwiches like grilled cheese, hot dogs and coney dogs.
The business will be releasing more updates on construction progress in the near future, so be sure to visit their website hunterhousehamburgers.com.
