Having a restaurant with automaker Ford Motor Company in your neighborhood could appear to be a gold rush.

But Gold Cash Gold, Corktown’s 70-seat eatery, located in a former pawn shop, is closing.

Brendon Edwards, the chef at the helm of Gold Cash Gold, and his partner said brunch on Feb. 2 will be its final service.

Edwards cited several factors in the decision to shutter.

“There is definitely some market saturation,” he said. "Corktown has not seen a population increase at the rate as downtown or Midtown. We import our customers, they drive from all over and there a lot of other restaurants.”

Another contributing factor, Edwards said, was the North American International Auto Show moving to June. Edwards said a large portion of its sales came in the first quarter and was based on the auto show.

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“Between buys from actual automakers, Toyota and Hyundai supported us for a number of years, as well as some private parties and large parties of executives coming in, they all contributed to a good amount of our sales for the first quarter."

Gold Cash Gold was open during the week for dinner and served brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

“Our brunch has been wildly successful and on Father’s Day we served 350 in a 70-seat restaurant,” Edwards said. “Trying to keep up on the weekdays has been more of a struggle.”

Edwards indicated that after the closure, they are still looking at doing some pop-ups and special events in the restaurant space.

Edwards, 36, has been at the helm of the restaurant since late fall 2016 when the menu reflected many southern influences. Coming on board at Gold Cash Gold, Edwards said, he didn’t want to be restricted to that cuisine, being so close to Slows Bar BQ.

New American became the buzz words for describing the menu; Edwards said it's a nod to letting you know you might be familiar with it.

“I wanted to diversify the cuisines within the neighborhood,” Edwards said. Most recently the menu reflected Latin American and Spanish influences.

Edwards' career has taken him to Michelin-star restaurants in Chicago. And locally, his name has been part of the Detroit restaurant scene with stints at the Antietam, which closed in 2018, and Standby in downtown Detroit.

The restaurant opened in December 2014. It was quickly named to late Free Press restaurant critic Sylvia Rector’s Top 10 Best New Restaurant list for 2015. Its menu was noted as having southern influences.

Gold Cash Gold is known for its pickle-brined chicken and focus on farm-to-table fare, partnering with the likes of Guernsey Dairy, Wasem Fruit Farm and Stone Hedge Farm.

The Corktown area has evolved into one of Detroit’s trendiest neighborhoods. And Ford’s investment in the area, including the redevelopment of Michigan Central Station, has given it a bigger boost. Gold Cash Gold is located nearly across the street from the train station. Real estate in the area has boomed. New condos and townhouses located just blocks away, on the site where Tiger Stadium used to stand, start around $400,000.

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“I think that it’s a really unfortunate thing to have to happen,” Edwards said. “But I think the entire staff as well as myself are proud of what we've done. We supported a lot of local farms. We started a lot programs we are proud of and ... turning it from a restaurant that was at a bit of a loss to one of positive growth since I’ve been here."

Contact Susan Selasky at 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.