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Saying Goodbye To Dearborn Legend

When we were doing our “Restaurant Road Trips” there were so many places we didn’t get to – one of them was the famous Lile’s Sandwich Shop in Dearborn. Now…

Liles in Dearborn

When we were doing our "Restaurant Road Trips" there were so many places we didn't get to - one of them was the famous Lile's Sandwich Shop in Dearborn. Now we're learning that Lile's is closing after 60 years in Dearborn - the Free Press put up a note about it from owner Harry Liles.

"Dear Customers. As of July 1, Liles will be permanently closed. We thank you for your many years of loyalty and support! Thank you and God bless."

Couple of years ago Channel 7 did a great piece about the simple magic of Lile's (great ham sandwiches and soup)...simple done right (with a cool bunch of people running it).

I've got a ton of friends in the food service industry, and all of them talk about how hard these times have been. For a place like Lile's that had a steady flow of people working at Ford to make it through Covid and keep going is a testament to the passion Harry has for Liles. But we get it - there's a point of diminished returns and unfortunately that means no more sandwiches and soup like this.

Liles in Dearborn

Nothing fancy - just real food. I wonder how many people have memories of going to Lile's in Dearborn?

Liles in Dearborn

Doesn't it feel like we're losing more and more of these places in Detroit? I live in Waterford and recently the owner of Rocket Burger announced he was closing after 50 years (famous burger place on Baldwin in Pontiac). During Covid we really tried to highlight as many local places as possible to keep it going - and time and time again the passion and loyalty to their customers was evident.

You can see it in the food at Liles - and in the people who work there. Thank you for everything Harry and Liles....and you're damn right we'll be making a road trip there.

Liles in Dearborn 4
Jim O'Brien is the Host of "Big Jim's House" Morning Show at 94.7 WCSX in Detroit. Jim spent eight years in the U.S. Naval Submarine Service, has appeared on Shark Tank (Man Medals Season 5 Ep. 2), raised over two million dollars for local charities and is responsible for Glenn Frey Drive and Bob Seger Blvd in the Motor City. Jim's relationship with Classic Rock includes considering Bob Seger, Phil Collen from Def Leppard, Wally Palmer of the Romantics and many others good friends. Jim writes about ‘80s movies, cars, weird food trends and “as seen on TikTok” content.