French Quarter cuisine cooks up new business
Mardi Gras comes alive in Auburn Hills restaurant

By Michelle Franzen Martin / Special to The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- Chuck's on the Boulevard not only is a model for how family-owned restaurants can grow, but also how they can thrive in an often difficult business.
   Lorraine and Chuck Lizana opened the New Orleans-style restaurant here in August some three years after they sold Chuck's Soul Food in Pontiac to Rite Aid. The mom-and-pop establishment seated 40 people.
   Instead of giving up on the business, the Lizanas decided to open the larger, more high-end restaurant on South Boulevard between Opdyke and Squirrel roads in Auburn Hills.
   "We took that leap," said Lorraine Lizana. "We felt it was our time to make a move."
   Getting the financing was difficult and time-consuming but that's the case for anybody in the restaurant business, she said.
   The challenge made Lizana, who at one time worked in commercial lending, work harder.
   "I created a business plan and went knocking on doors to make it happen," she said.
   Lizana worked on the business plan for a year, spending about $1,500 for photocopying and having an accountant do projections. She estimates she would have spent close to $15,000 if she would have instead hired a consultant.
   John Arnold, executive chef of African American-owned Beans & Cornbread in Southfield, said at times it can be difficult to get people to take soul food and African-American cooks seriously.
   "You just have to take your own business seriously," he said. "You have to love what you do. A lot of people were brought up on soul food, but it can be hard to find quality soul food."
   Taking things up a notch, Arnold said, also helps.
   "We take the food from our heritage and make it a little healthier instead of using all the fats. You have to hold the restaurant to the highest standards," he said. "Things like white tablecloths, and the right ambience and professionalism, help to uphold those standards. We expect no less than 110 percent from our employees."
   Being African American hasn't spurred any additional business challenges for the Lizanas, Lorraine Lizana said. The business itself is a challenge for anybody, she said.
   "We have quite a mixed clientele," she said. "We've been pretty well accepted by everybody."
   Chuck's on the Boulevard is in a former Ponderosa building that was renovated to resemble a festive night in the New Orleans' French Quarter. It is decorated with a wrought-iron facade and the purple, green and gold colors of Mardi Gras.
   Instead of hiring a construction manager to do the work, Lizana quit her job as a substitute teacher and oversaw the six-month renovation. She said this saved her about $75,000.
   The 150-seat restaurant has 30 employees and two kitchens: one is used for catering and the other for diners.
   The menu is inspired from the Lizana's native Louisiana, where they lived until 1967. It's a menu the Lizana's clientele old and new appear to favor. Riverboat Stuffed Shrimp and Southern Fried Catfish are among the house specialities. Prices range from $10-$12 for dinner, although some entrees cost up to $19.
   Lizana said the regulars from the former restaurant have become regulars at Chuck's on the Boulevard.
   "We're so glad that our old customers are coming back," she said. "They knew us when we were small."

Michelle Franzen Martin is a Metro Detroit free-lance writer.

Need Directions?