Slyde burger restaurant feels support from the community ahead of fall opening

It's been a long road to opening for Slyde, a restaurant set to debut this fall with tiny burgers in a big space in Detroit's West Village. 

The team behind the chef-driven concept recently started hosting single day pop-up service while they continue to build out the full bar and restaurant, located in a former bank at Van Dyke and Kercheval. Chef Davante Burnley said the most recent pop-up earlier this month got an "overwhelming" response. 

"We knew we were going to get the support of the neighborhood and the community, but at no point were we expecting 100 to walk up," he said. That was in addition to those who ordered in advance online. "As a chef, there was no way for me to gauge those kind of numbers. It was nice." 

The summer pop-ups, which will continue next month, will each give a different sneak peek of the menu. In July, for example, Burnley offered a series of $4 gourmet sliders like the pub chicken with fried chicken, apple wood beef bacon, cheddar cheese sauce and house pickles on a slider-sized pretzel bun. A salmon slider was topped with arugula, tomato, avocado-remoulade and served on brioche. 

For the pop-ups they used the drive-through window at the back of the building. The rest of the space is being worked on; the pandemic has caused delays. 

Burnley said once open, there will be a big retail component with Slyde, selling the house-made sauces and spices by the bottle. This includes their pineapple rum sauce, jerk spice rub, house slider sauce and lemon pepper blend for the potato wedges. 

"Once we get fully open we're going to use the entire building ... the main floor is going to house our dining room and bar, then smack dab in the middle it's going to be an open kitchen concept," said Burnley, explaining that he envisions the kitchen as the engine for the space. "The back side is going to be our carryout, grab-and-go and our retail space." 

He calls the spacious building "amazing."

"We're a family-friendly concept," he said. "This location is ideal." 

Slyde, which along with Burnley is helmed by general manager Justice Akuezue and partners LJ Nelson, Jen Nelson, Anitrah Nelson and Dana Frost, is planning for a fall opening at 7960 Kercheval in Detroit. Keep an eye on their Facebook (facebook.com/Slydetherestaurant) or Instagram page (@slydedetroit) for information on the next pop-up service, which is expected to be Aug. 22. 

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mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens