Inside a BP gas station on Ford Road across from the iconic Ford Drive-In Theater, a 21-year-old’s garage brainstorm transformed into Detroit’s most celebrated halal burger joint. 🍔
How Taystee’s Burgers won Dearborn’s hearts
In 2014, 21-year-old Ali Jawad was hanging out in his garage, figuring out what to do with his life after dropping out of college.
His grandfather Kazem had recently reacquired a BP gas station on Ford Road that sat at the outer edge of East Dearborn, but the place was in bad shape with cardboard covering broken windows and a dilapidated restaurant inside.
Ali partnered with chef Mohamed Nassereddine, who was looking for a change after working at the now-shuttered Mashawi Lebanese restaurant, and together they opened Taystee’s in November 2014 with just $20,000 from Ali’s savings…