The Banter Polish Boy Credit: BurkleHagen
Matthew Stipe has announced that he is closing Banter in Detroit Shoreway, devastating news considering the struggle it took him to get here. He opened the original poutine, sausage and bottle shop down the road in 2014 and closed it in late 2020, vowing to return. He did just that in late 2023 after considerable delay and into a very different business climate.

The silver lining here is that it’s business as usual out east at Banter Van Aken District.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we have to announce the closure of Gordon Square,” he writes. “The restaurant business is fickle and this year has been one of the hardest across the board for our industry. It’s easy to point at this or blame that but there is time for self-reflection later.”

Banter Gordon Square will remain open until February 2nd, so diners have a chance to swing through one last time.

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This article appears in Jan 16-29, 2025.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.