The signs outside Ms. Ruth’s Catering at Hannan Café tell it all.

One bears the slogan, “Good Food from the Heart” and draws Wayne State University students and local residents, some disabled and in wheelchairs.

A few feet away, a Stokas-Bieri real estate sign read "2,500-square-foot restaurant space available," indicating that Ms. Ruth's days at 4750 Woodward could be numbered.

Ruth O’Quin has been at the location for five years and said she is paying $1,750 per month in rent.

But when her lease runs out on Dec. 31, the monthly rent, she said, could jump to $7,000 — a price she can't afford. The real estate company handling the lease told O'Quin, 67, and her daughter, Tammy Reed, that it is hoping to get $35 per square foot for the space.

"We were devastated,'' said Reed.

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Ms. Ruth's Catering would be the latest Detroit business to get squeezed out in the midst of the city's resurgence. Those like Henry the Hatter and Angelina Italian Bistro have had to relocate or potentially partner with other businesses because of skyrocketing lease rate increases.

The building is owned by Luella Foundation. Executive Director Vince Tilford said the group is a nonprofit and needs the income to continue its mission.

"We're a nonprofit organization that helps seniors," Tilford said. "One of the ways we can do that is to get better rent in our building so that we're not subsidizing it and to continue to support our seniors.

"Our real estate agent is saying that we might be able to get $25 per square foot,'' said Tilford. "Currently, what we get for that space is less than $7 per square foot; far, far from the market. In addition, the current lessee there gets an additional 800 square feet to use. It's a lease rate that's well below anyone in this market is paying.''

Tilford said he was hopeful both sides could reach an agreement and said he expected a proposal from O'Quin in the coming weeks. He said if O'Quin extended her hours Monday through Friday, that would be a help.

"Right now, they're not a full-time restaurant,'' he said.

They are open 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. on Friday.

Prospective renters have already started surveying the property.

“They’ve (potential leasers) been coming around since August,’’ O'Quin said Thursday between the breakfast and lunch crowd. “They came in and told us they were going to have people looking at the restaurant. They said they were looking at about $35 per square foot."

Reed works at the restaurant. Mother and daughter are concerned.

“We started having this conversation as early as January," Reed said. "People have started coming in. We were devastated. We were here during all the construction of the M-1 Rail. Struggling. Struggling. It’s like a slap in the face that you would even bring people in here before our lease is up."

Loyal customers of Ms. Ruth's are hopeful the sides can reach a compromise.

Dion Peoples, who works at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office across the street, said O'Quin is a star in the neighborhood.

“She is becoming the victim of the renovations in downtown Detroit,'' he said. "Her and several other people. These mom-and-pop corner stores are the ones suffering. I feel bad for her because she works hard. She’s there bright and early at 6 o’clock in the morning, prepping food. She has done some Detroit police officers' funerals at her will, not knowing if she was going to get paid or not. You don’t find too many people that reach out like that.’’

Al Rice, treasurer of First Congregational Church of Detroit, where his wife, Rev. Dr. Cindy Rice, is the pastor, has partnered with O’Quin for church functions.

“We have reached out to her for our catering services,’’ said Rice. “She’s doing a fantastic job. We used to do our catering in-house, but for the quality of services, Ruth’s Catering has proven to be quite consistent and reliable. She does our significant catering events, exclusively.

“We survey our guests her for the satisfaction, and she consistent gets high marks for her quality of food."

O’Quin runs a culinary arts school out of the restaurant, and Nefertiti Frazier is one of her prize students.

“Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned out of this kitchen,’’ Frazier said. “We’d come here, wait tables, wash dishes, mix corn bread and bake cakes and cookies. It would make me sad if we had to move. ...

"The one thing that I like is a lot of the older crowd comes here. If you look at Ms. Ruth’s prices, they are very economical for people on a fixed income."

O’Quin won’t go without a fight, but if she has to, she’ll look for a place in the area.

“We’ve been exploring our options,’’ said Reed. “We’ve been looking around Midtown. We really would like to stay in this area. At the rate it's going, we may have to move a little further out.’’

Contact Perry A. Farrell: pafarrell@freepress.com



