Quicken Loans gets Comfy in Detroit
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 12:04PM | Becks Davis Yesterday, 700 Quicken Loans employees moved into their new home in the Compuware building in downtown Detroit. More of their co-workers will be joining them soon to make the grand total 1,700.
We pledge to fulfill our commitment to the city. This is an interim step that allows us to begin transforming Detroit into a high-tech hub of business and ingenuity. - Dan Gilbert
That’s a lot of new neighbors and customers for area businesses. The Quicken employees will be lunching, shopping, and exploring their new surroundings and I’m sure they are going to be delighted with what they find.
Quicken employees get to work on their first day in Detroit.
Quicken will occupy the 9th through 12th floors of the building and with views of Campus Martius, Comerica Park, and Ford Field you can feel the excitement of a active area.
The new facilities mirrors their employees, it’s a vibrant and creative environment. With Fatboy beanbags in the lounge areas, Faygo slushy machines in every break room, graffiti on the floor, and scratch & sniff wallpaper this place exudes fun. Oh, and a ping pong table and hop scotch!
Just as Detroit businesses will, I welcome the Quicken employees with open arms.
I’m also going to challenge them: become ambassadors for Detroit. Once you spend some time downtown you’re going to find your favorite places to hang out at and to grab a bite to eat.
Tell your co-workers, your friends, and your family. Let them know that it’s not that scary place that they might think it is. Embrace the city.
I’ll start.
- Take a break and walk through the amazing banking hall at the Guardian Building, get a cup of coffee at the Stella International Café while you’re there.
- For a quick and cheap lunch pick up a chicken shawarma at the Budapest Grill/Park Bar.
- Cocktail Hour at Roast should be your new after-work destination. Three-buck eats can’t be beat.
- Foran’s has a great selection of Michigan brews.
Do you have any favorite places and top tips you’d like to share with the Quicken team?
Reader Comments (10)
Yes please give us some ideas for lunch after work! :) We are always wanting to try new things!!
Get to know the Atwater Block Brewery!
Where to start! I lived in downtown Detroit on Woodward near Campus Martius Park for over a year so I have a fair handle on downtown. Here are my recommendations and places I would have liked to have known starting out.
Bars
* Detroit Beer Company - home grown brews. Great laid back brewery/sports bar
* Town Pump - Behind Fox theater - great pub style bar with lots of beers on tap and the best owner, Sean Harrington.
* Centaur Bar - right next to Town Pump - martini lounge and bar. Great place for a more upscale night (as opposed to pub style of the Pump)
* Forans - Great pub style bar with Michigan craft brews - On Woodward closer to Jefferson.
Happy Hours I like
* Detroit Beer Company - cheap beer, half price appetizers
- Tuesdays are $5 growlers - check it out
* Roast - See review on this site - Cheap drinks and awesome food for really cheap
* Town Pump - Cheap beers and good food.
Food
* Detroit Beer Company has really good food and they have good beer
* Foran's has good burgers and sandwiches. Unique.
* Lafayette Coney Island (the best coney in Detroit!) - Great for late nights. I've never been there when they've been closed so I think they're open all night.
* Fishbones - good sushi and cajun fare
* Five Guys Burgers in greektown for some awesome burgers and frieds
* Oslo sushi - corner of Woodward and John R - Good sushi and thai food (club downstairs at night)
* Orchi Thai - monroe street near Greektown - good place for Thai food
* Dominos Pizza - Cadillac square near Campus Martius - Good reliable delivery. Never had a problem with the quality of the food either. Friendly delivery ppl.
* Little Caesers Pizza - Warren West of I75. Pickup. Sometimes slow but a good place.
Groceries
* Honey Bee Grocery - great grocery store in Mexican town. also have good food for take out here.
* Eastern Market - Definitely go before 12:00 on a Saturday. Lots of people and lots of fresh food.
* Harbortown market - You can get a lot of food you won't find at other grocery stores around. Little more expensive but worth it.
Movie Store
* Blockbuster at Warren and the Lodge (10) in Mid-town. Good selection.
Liquor Stores
* Best one is Mid-town Liquor on the West Side of Woodward in Mid-town, South of Warren. Good selection, fair prices, friendly workers.
* Also a good one East on Jefferson about .75 miles from Woodward.
* Last chance alternative is one on Broadway between Grand River and Gratiot.
Miscellaneous Stores (i.e. CVS)
* CVS on Woodward just North of Campus Martius - Best bet but they have horrible hours
* Right Aid in mid-town (Woodward North of I75 on East side)
* Good CVS on Warren East of Woodward (South Side) - 24 hours.
* CVS East on Jefferson
That should get you started! Let me know if you have any questions.
Jared
Thanks ex-banker & Jared Detroit! Awesome suggestions.
Yep, Jared, that should keep them busy for a while. :D
I'll add Cliff Bell's. They recently started a happy hour from 4pm-7pm; I haven't checked it out yet but it's on my to-do list. Also, the 1st Thursday of every month is the the Moth StorySlams.
Welcome downtown.
Try Blue Star for cafeteria style lunch. Only open weekdays for lunch, best food for the $.
Mexican town its a short drive.
Coach Insignia's new weekday happyhour its comparable to Roast.
Brian, Definitely have to check out Coach Insignia for a Happy Hour then.
An addition for lunch. A good deli style place is Gateway Deli on West Fort (3-4 blocks West of Woodward). Quick and good.
Jared
Becks, thanks so much for visiting and writing this post! We're excited to explore the city and these are some great tips.
You are an excellent ambassador for the city here at Detroit Moxie....and we are proud to join you.
Thanks!
Brian,
Thanks for adding your suggestions. I think I might need to check out the happy hour at Coach Insignia too.
Kelly,
You're most welcome, thanks for having me down to visit your space. I love it! I think Quicken is going to add an exciting dynamic to the area.
I'd check out the Detroit Institute of Arts for some great ways to unwind after work on Fridays. Check out the art, live music, and other cool activities at the museum's Friday Night Live programs...or take in a flick at the DIA's fab Detroit Film Theater (I'm a big fan of the documentaries and music films, the 1920s vintage theater is amazing, and the DFT schedule is always chock-full of great movies you won't likely see at the huge mulitplexes)
Or check out the weekly, seasonal farmers market Wednesdays on the Wayne State University campus.
The Oscars 2019 are here. Which movie will be the big winner when the statuettes are handed out this Sunday, February 24, 2019, starting at 8pm EST?