PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JEWISH COM MU NAL ARCHIVES
ments say it is difficult to pin-
point exactly why no local, full-
service kosher eateries seem to
be successful these days; instead,
they say there are a number of
reasons as to why they start, then
invariably fail.
With some 96,000 Jews living
in the Detroit area, kosher
restaurants appear on the sur-
face to be gold mines waiting to
be discovered. According to the
1989 community study conduct-
ed by the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, 83 percent
of Orthodox Jews, 29 percent of
Conservative Jews, 3 percent of
Reform Jews and 3 percent of all
other Jews maintain separate
dishes, a sign that they keep
some level of kashrut.
But a closer look at the indus-
try reveals restaurant owners
who are financially strapped, cus-
tomers who are more fickle than
in the past and higher operating
costs, including those for super-
vision, all of which paint a bleak
picture for the future of the area's
kosher eateries.
Those operating a kosher
restaurant face very different is-
sues than those operating a sim-
Max Luss, the owner of Superi-
ilar nonkosher establishment.
For one, the days of operation or, is an Orthodox Jew. The own-
are drastically reduced in the er of Harvard Row, John Katz, is
kosher world. With early Friday a Conservative Jew.
To add insult to injury, the let-
hours, Saturday closings and hol-
iday work moratoriums, the ter allegedly was signed by one
number of days kosher facilities of two rabbis in charge of super-
can open for business drops from vision for the Vaad Harabonim.
"The blame should fall on the
about 360 a year to about 260.
"With being closed on Shabbos Vaad," Mr. Goodman told The
and all of the holidays, you can't Jewish News before his restau-
compete," said Morris Goodman, rant closed. "Did they have a
meeting? Did they try to do any-
the former owner of Sara's.
thing? No, they didn't.
But more than that is
That wasn't the way it
the perceived lack of sup- Kapel Kop olwitz,
port by the community center, ha ngs out in should have been done."
Mr. Goodman said
and the Council of Or- front of a H astings
thodox Rabbis, the Vaad Street rest aurant in that although his busi-
the 1920s.
ness had never been a
Harabonim.
huge success, it suffered
A two-paragraph let-
ter finally broke Mr. Goodman's large losses after the letter cir-
resolve to operate his business. culated.
It was this perceived lack of
About two years ago, he heard
that a letter was being passed support from the Vaad and the
through the community. It la- community that caused Mr.
beled his place unsuitable for Goodman to stop absorbing fi-
anyone who kept kosher. The nancial losses, to place his restau-
reason? As a business move and rant of six years on the sale block
what he felt was a quality deci- and to walk away from being the
sion, Mr. Goodman switched only kosher game in town at the
butchers from Superior Kosher time. On July 31, 1995, he closed
Meats to Harvard Row Kosher the small eatery, handing the
keys over to Steve Rabinowitz
Meats.
While both are certified by the who opened Classic Coney Island
Vaad, Superior is deemed by in December 1995.
Rabbi Chaskel Grubner, exec-
some to have superior hash-
gachah, the kosher stamp of ap- utive director of the Vaad, denied
proval. This is in part because THE PAST page 20
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