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 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).
https://fb.watch/kwtE54Ofvq/?mibextid=Nif5oz
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.
Nothing fancy – just real food. I wonder how many people have memories of going to Lile’s 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.
