A burgeoning seafood grille in downtown Detroit is undergoing a makeover.
Sloppy Crab is in the midst of a transformation that will add a new pizzeria to its location at 519 E. Jefferson. Meanwhile, a second Sloppy Chops steakhouse is expected to open in June about a mile down the road in the old Lucky’s Pub and Grille at 2690 E. Jefferson Ave.
The steakhouse will be a rendition of the Sloppy Chops fast-casual eatery in Northwest Detroit. Sloppy Chops is the forerunner to Sloppy Crab, both founded and developed by co-owner Mike Brown.
“It’s been a grind,” he said. “I’m learning every day, and we just keep working until we get it to perfection. That’s with the food, that’s with the service and clientele.”
Sloppy Crab operates in a building at the corner of East Jefferson and Beaubien Boulevard that encompasses three business suits. Brown said he intends to open the pizza restaurant in one of the suites later this year.
Brown once ran a cluster of Detroit bars. He owned the former Club XO on Seven Mile Road as well as Dynasty Lounge on Eight Mile Road, which was later re-named Club Status. He spent nearly 20 years building them from the ground up.
Brown ventured into the restaurant game in March 2020 with his longtime business partner Chef Al Moxley, the co-owner and executive chef at both eateries.
The two teamed up to open Sloppy Chops at 13226 W McNichols Road just before the pandemic struck. It was built around Detroit’s love for lamb chops.
The business stayed afloat through the first year with carry outs and curbside service. Moxley designed the menu and Brown used his acumen to handle day-to-day business operations. But he acknowledged it was a different experience for him.
“I knew the liquor business, the club and the bar scenes, but I never knew about the food,” he said. “It’s way more, it’s a lot harder than running a nightclub or a bar.”
In addition to the lamb chops, the steakhouse’s popular dishes include lobster tacos, salmon, shrimp alfredo along with steak and chicken bites on a bed of rice topped with a signature sloppy sauce.
Word got out about the Sloppy Chops and it quickly became a draw in the Harmony Village neighborhood. Things continued to sizzle and in the summer of 2021, Brown and company opened Sloppy Crab at 519 E. Jefferson, across the road from GM Renaissance Center in the heart of Detroit’s resurgent downtown.
The seafood bar offers lobster mac and cheese, deep-fried hand-battered jumbo shrimp, lobster crab cakes, salmon bites, chipotle corn on the cob, crab legs and seafood boils.
Both Sloppy Crab and the flagship Sloppy Chops will remain open seven days a week through the renovations.
Brown said he’s also working on a deal with Chef Pilar Omega, a Detroit native competing on this season of Fox reality TV series Next Level Chef, for her to design the menus and do some cooking at Sloppy Chops and Sloppy Crab.
The owners hope to build their brand even further after locking down operations in Detroit. Brown indicated he plans to expand to different cities like Atlanta, Houston and Miami.
“I feel good every day. A lot of people reach out – the news and a lot of media,” he said. “There’s been a lot of attention on Sloppy Crab and Sloppy Chops around the city. So we’re trying to get to that next level.”
