What does it take to run a bar and restaurant? When Owen Burke and his business partner Tony Piraino first ran a bar called Pulse in 2005, the building they were leasing got demolished by the city for future progress.  So they changed concepts, got a hold of a historic building in Greektown, and opened Firebird Tavern in 2013. A decade in one concept is quite the accomplishment in their industry. And recently, they expanded with a second location in Troy, Michigan. In this honest conversation at the Daily Detroit studio at TechTown, we talk about the ups, the challenges, and a lot more. Show notes: 02:21 - History of the building in Greektown and introductions 06:17 - Why do a second location in Troy? 06:44 - The harsh impact of COVID on business, and the long-term changes 08:02 - Traffic feels down in Downtown Detroit to 2008, pre-bankruptcy levels and patterns 10:51 - Extensive plans to convert Monroe Street to be more pedestrian friendly, thoughts and impact 11:51 - The timing of I-375 project matters and it's all interlocked 12:40 - Hard business lessons from the Avenue of Fashion closures on Livernois and businesses closed  13:39 - Lessons learned since 2005 on making a place go 15:06 - Everyone will bring you a Bud Light. What's different about your spot? 17:11 - On keeping staff 19:42 - Biggest changes in the Greektown neighborhood over the years 20:40 - Wrestling with negative headlines for Greektown and addressing issues late at night 23:47 - How important are events like the NFL Draft, Opening Day, and Super Bowl? 26:37 - General advice for others wanting to start a bar or restaurant 30:14 - What to order at Firebird Tavern 34:54 - How to get business? Answer the phone. Follow up. Build the events business. 39:21 - Online ordering is a multiple times the volume in the suburbs than the city. The volume is almost non-existent downtown; in suburbs, it's a key part of business 40:10 - Who thought we'd be paying with our eyeballs? And the fact credit cards are everywhere when a lot used to be cash. Patrons are driving that change, since so few use cash now, credit card companies come with fees.  43:26 - Hopes for 2024 Thanks to today's sponsor, City Bird: https://www.citybirddetroit.com/ (To be clear, they had no impact on the content of the episode outside of their ad read) Support the businesses that support us this holiday season.  Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211 Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://lnk.to/dailydetroitonapple Or Spotify: https://lnk.to/dailydetroitonspotify  hanks to our members: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit Or those who do a one-time contribution: http://www.buymeacoffee.com/dailydetroit