Brightmoor Family Grille — Restaurant in Detroit

Today was my first and last time dining at Brightmoor Family Grill. When I arrived, I saw that the parking lot was clean, but not a lot of parking was available. The restaurant and restroom were both clean. There was only one other table dining in besides ours, but the service was slow. However, the server was kind. The food was not that great, but we ate it and decided that we did not have to come back. I had pork chops, cabbage, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, and honey cornbread. The pork chops and cabbage were bland, all of my sides were room temperature, and my cornbread was not fresh, and it had no taste as well. The problem started when I received my bill and saw that the prices were slightly higher. I asked the server why the prices were higher on my bill than the menu prices, and she said that the additional charges were for the sales tax. I showed her on the bill that they were already charging the 6% sales tax at the bottom of my bill and they could not charge me twice for the sales tax, but she insisted that she was correct. I gave her my card to pay my bill, but it took her a long time to come back, so I asked another server if she would please get the manager. Ms. Poe came out, and I introduced myself and I told her that it was my first time dining there, and it might be my last because there was a discrepancy with my bill. Well, she stated the same thing as her server, that the additional costs were for the sales tax on each item. I told her that she could not charge twice for the sales tax, but she insisted that she was not charging twice. So, I asked her for my card, and she said that it was in the back because there was a problem with my bill. I insisted that she bring my card, so she went to get it, but was still refusing to give it to me, so I had to make her give me my card. I told her it was not the amounts, but the principle of the matter of charging me more and not being able to give an explanation. I told her that I was going to report her restaurant to the State of Michigan. As the discussion got heated, she called me ignorant, and I told her she was ignorant because she could not explain her prices and she was a liar and a thief. She became enraged and told me not to bother paying for the food and to get out of her restaurant. I put on my coat and tried to leave, but she was blocking me from leaving and one of her staff tried to get her to go to the back, but she continued to be confrontational and preventing me from leaving the restaurant. Eventually, the manager, Anthony, came from the back, and she started yelling that I called her ignorant, and I told him after she called me ignorant. However, I explained what happened, and he told me that the charge was for credit card fees, and I asked why didn't the other people say that, of course, he did not know why, but it would have eliminated a huge misunderstanding if the other staff members knew the operation of the business. I want to add that I grabbed the food that I had left over after I put on my coat, but she knocked it out of my hand. When it hit the ground, I stomped it to make sure that they did not serve it to anyone else. That is when Anthony came between us so that I could get out of the restaurant and he explained the charges on my bill which made sense, and I had no problem with paying cash, but she had already told me to get out of her restaurant.

If they do not make some changes, I do not see them being in business for long because I saw a lot of other dissatisfied customers who had come to pick up their food leaving as well. Everyone is talking about supporting black owned businesses, but I believe in supporting businesses who do business with integrity.

Update 03/27/2025, the owner responded asking me to tell both sides. Both sides of what? Excuse me, specimens, I am not doing your job. Figure it out for...

We eat black owned or brown owned all the time. Tried Brightmoor Family Grille after The Hungry Black Man highly recommend it. It was definitely worth the the try. It’s an old coney turned into a soul food/Jamaican restaurant. The menu has a lot of choices for all day dining. We went for lunch yesterday. We got fried turkey chops with sweet potatoes, collard greens and Mac and cheese. Jerk chicken, oxtails and cabbage. Everything was good. Even the greens that the owner said it’s not his usual, they were better than most. All the food was lightly season which is fine. The fried turkey chop wasn’t dry and was crispy. The jerk chicken was juicy and the sauce was good. The sauce was sweet with a spicy finish. The sweet potatoes were cooked with a lot of butter or butter extract bc you can taste it. The Mac and cheese was creamy with a little cheese pull. It’s some of the best I’ve had in the city. The oxtail was the star of the menu. They were tender, meaty, flavorful, nice sizes. Paid $17 for 5 nice size tails. They supposed to be Jamaican but they don’t taste it. More towards the soul food side IMO. The kool aid was the only bad thing. It was nasty but overall I give them 8.5/10. Will make this one of my new soul...

It's like a Coney Island, but with a soul food and Jamaican food infusion! Found out about this gem recently and I am already looking forward to trying something else soon! I got the catfish dinner, which came with 2 sides. I chose pasta salad and mashed potatoes for an extra carb boost. The potatoes were smooth and buttery. No gravy, sauce or extra seasoning needed! Great flavor. The pasta salad was pleasantly a slight al dente texture, firm enough to notice, but not too much. Light saucing with a pretty solid, strong flavor on the sauce. Now... THE FISH. WOW. great flavor. Crispy, yet flaky and again, no sauce or extra needed. I splashed a teeny bit of lemon juice on it and dunked it in some Baron West Indian Hot Sauce, and it added some pop to mix it up. Loved the quality of the food. Service with a welcoming atmosphere and in only about 5-10 minutes! Incredible. I'll definitely put this into my regular rotation when I am on that...