Hi there,

It’s been one month since we unlocked the doors, fired up the griddle, and welcomed our first guests into Buns & Patties.

And what a month it’s been.

The funny thing about opening a restaurant is that you spend so much time preparing for every little detail. The recipes. The systems. The training. The timing. Then the doors open, the first orders come in, and suddenly the restaurant becomes something way bigger than you could have ever planned for.

When we first started this journey, we hoped people would show up. We hoped the community would give us a chance. What we never expected was just how overwhelming that support would be.

The first month has been exciting, chaotic, exhausting, humbling, and everything in between. We’ve learned more in a few weeks of actually operating than we could in years of planning.

We thought it would be fun to share some stats. Buns & Patties: One Month By The Numbers

• Patties smashed: 23,396 (if the patties were stacked on top of each other, it would reach 975 feet, taller than the Renaissance Center by 250 feet!)

• Gallons of secret burger sauce made: 307 (enough to fill up 6 standard bathtubs)

• Sundaes swirled: 1,713

• Average steps per shift: 18,000

• 5-star reviews received: 133

• Hours of sleep lost: Too many

It’s been exhilarating and truly a privilege to serve each of our guests.

A few days after opening, something happened that genuinely stopped us in our tracks.

The Detroit Diet posted a video calling Buns & Patties the “best burger in Metro Detroit.”

Watch the video in the links below.

Thats not something we expected. And honestly, it was surreal.

If you’ve been following along since the beginning, you know how much went into creating this menu. The late nights testing recipes, the endless debates over tiny details, and the ridiculous amount of time spent trying to get every bite exactly where we wanted it.

So to see someone outside our little circle try the food and have that kind of reaction was something we’ll never forget.

We know food is subjective. Everyone has their favorites, and that’s part of what makes the Detroit food scene so great. But after spending so much time building something we believed in, seeing people genuinely enjoy it has been one of the most rewarding parts of this entire process.

But the truth is, it hasn’t all been perfect.

Behind every burger is a team that’s been working incredibly hard to figure this thing out in real time.

We’ve made mistakes. We’ve had growing pains. We’ve had moments where the line moved slower than we wanted, moments where we underestimated how much food to prep, and moments where we realized opening a restaurant teaches you hard lessons pretty quickly.

The support was beyond anything we prepared for. We filled every inch of our coolers, ordered more food than we thought possible, and still found ourselves struggling to keep up.

That’s why we made the decision to temporarily close on Mondays.

Not because we wanted a day off, but because we wanted a day to reset, prep properly, improve our systems, and make sure every guest who walks through our doors gets the version of Buns & Patties we set out to create.

The coolest part of this whole experience hasn’t just been the burgers.

It’s been watching Buns & Patties become a real place.

A place where friends meet up. Where families grab dinner. Where someone walks in after a long shift because they finally found somewhere open late.

All the things we talked about before opening are actually happening.

And that’s because of you.

Thank you for showing up. Thank you for telling your friends. Thank you for posting about us. Thank you for being patient while we learn, adjust, and get a little better every day.

We’re one month in. Still learning. Still improving. Still smashing.

And we’re just getting started.

Stay hungry,
-The BnP Crew

Catch up on past editions of this newsletter in the archive below.