Detroit car enthusiasts save local coffee shop during COVID pandemic
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When car enthusiasts in Detroit gather to show off their flashy vehicles, it sometimes creates a ripple effect in the community.
In August, Fox News Digital attended Drift Indy, M1 Concourse and Woodward Dream Cruise events in the Detroit suburbs, asking car enthusiasts and attendees if they encountered challenges in building a community. Due to the rise of technology and the decline of various social activities such as bowling leagues and rotary clubs church attendance, Reports of loneliness are increasing.
“This is actually a great opportunity for you to go out and socialize with people. This group is obviously nothing but chill vibes and a good community,” Elie El-Haddad said.
Many find community in loving cars. But among the experiences auto enthusiasts shared with Fox News Digital was a story that went beyond personal ties.
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Eurotic: Detroit founder Elie El-Haddad says he’s grateful for the support from local businesses. (Nikolas Lanum/Fox News Digital)
El-Haddad started Detroit Eurotic nearly a decade ago and it became the eighth chapter nationwide. Eurotic focuses on European-made cars such as BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes. The chapter meets weekly in the parking lot of the DayCap Café in Birmingham, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Sometimes the chapter meets in Royal Oak and downtown Detroit.
El-Haddad touted Detroit’s Eurotic branch as bringing monetary value to a small business.
“That’s what the whole car community is about. Go out, have fun, introduce yourself to new people, interact with new people, and at the end of the day, we all love cars; we all have one hobby,” El-Haddad said.
Svenska Café was on the verge of bank foreclosure as businesses and schools were quarantined during the coronavirus outbreak.
The coronavirus pandemic was an unprecedented public health crisis that led to small businesses across the country being forced to pause operations or even close due to a lack of financial support during the quarantine. DayCap was once called Svenska Café; It was a Swedish cafe that operated for seven years under previous management.
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Svenska café has continued operations during COVID-19 with the help of Eurotic: Detroit and the greater Birmingham community. (Google Maps)
“Svenska’s previous owner was having trouble covering the rent bills…a lot of businesses were closing and not many people were working,” El-Haddad said.
El-Haddad said the lack of foot traffic has led to many businesses closing during the pandemic.
Since Eurotic auto shows were allowed to host events while maintaining social distancing, El-Haddad and then-Svenska Café owner Christina Bakalis worked together as the coffee shop picked up customers’ orders curbside.
“Every dollar honestly counts and it helped him keep his job and then they helped us host events here,” he added.
The Eurotic motor show partnership with Svenska was successful; People who came to buy their coffee and pastries also saw the cars on display. Svenska Café tripled the amount they usually make in a normal month.
He continued, “To be honest, COVID has helped us a lot, to expand the car culture, to expand the world, to expand the Eurotic name on the map. And that’s who we really are now.”
El-Haddad discovered synergy with another car enthusiast who bought the shop.
When Svenksa Café was purchased by Valant “Val” Jaddou, El-Haddad asked him if he could continue to manage Eurotic.
Svenska cafe was renamed DayCap after it was purchased by Jaddou. Jaddou bought the coffee shop a year ago and completely changed the concept; now specializes in paninis and “cold drinks”.
“Me and Eli are always working together to do different events and different collaborations, which makes it really fun,” Jaddou said.
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The Daycap coffee bar and restaurant continues to host Eurotic: Detroit drive and coffee events to this day. (Nikolas Lanum/Fox News Digital)
Jaddou allowed El-Haddad to continue Eurotic auto shows because it blended with DayCap’s intention to foster community for its customers. Therefore, under Jaddou’s management, El-Haddad was able to hold car shows much more frequently than under the institution’s previous owners.
“We like to know our customers by name and make them feel comfortable when they come here. Sometimes the first person you see in the morning is a barista. We want to cheer them up and give them the motivation to start the day with a really good coffee, a good sandwich or a good pastry,” Jaddou said.
Jaddou shared why car culture in Detroit is making an impact on the community.
“I think people have their own teams and people have their own groups. And I think what could be better than bringing a uniform concept like cars that a lot of people are interested in and bringing those people together in that way, whether it’s people meeting for the first time or people looking at someone’s car and looking at it deeply and seeing that it’s a really great car,” he said.
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He explained further, “What got you into this? How long have you been driving? What year? What brand? What model? I mean, it’s really cool to see, man. It’s really cool.”
El-Haddad praised DayCap for the great hospitality it showed them.
“They have always welcomed us with open hands. They love what we do. We have never had any complaints about them or anyone in Birmingham,” said El-Haddad.
Bakalis, the former owner of Svenksa Café, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
