A Burgundy-and-Pink Burger Shop Is Coming to Mack. Here's What Grosse Pointe Woods Asked For in Return.

The paint chips went before the Grosse Pointe Woods Planning Commission in September. One was Benjamin Moore Dark Burgundy for the main walls. The other was Spring Azalea for the awnings and roof coping. Both were picked for a small single-story building at the corner of Mack and Lennon, which will become the city's first Little Ghost.

City staff wrote that neither color comes from the Historical Color Collection the Woods has approved for its commercial district. After looking at the samples, the commission found both "acceptable at this location."

That one exception shows how the Woods is handling the new businesses on Mack this fall. The city is saying yes to unusual tenants: a pink burger shop, a golf simulator that never closes, a coffee shop built around a toddler playroom. Each yes came with conditions, and almost every condition is about the same thing. It controls how the business meets the sidewalk.

The corner of Mack and Lennon, and what came off the plans

Little Ghost is the fast-casual burger shop from Four Man Ladder Hospitality, the Detroit group behind Grey Ghost in Midtown. The group announced the Woods location at 20567 Mack in an Oct. 11 news release, and the Detroit Free Press reported an opening expected in early 2027. The burgers will use beef from Fairway Packing Co. The Woods menu adds something Ferndale doesn't sell, which is milkshakes. The Macomb Daily reported that the building was most recently a nail salon.

The plan that first reached the Planning Commission on Aug. 25 included a seasonal outdoor counter with seating. The commission's recommendation to City Council required one of two things: the walk-up window needed a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals, or it had to come out of the project. By the Sept. 17 site plan review, the walk-up window and the outdoor seating area were both gone.

The building itself drove the color decision. The city's design standards for the commercial district favor Colonial, Georgian and other "Traditional" styles. In its report, city staff described this building as having cement block panels, geometric structures and a flat roof. Staff also noted that making it look traditional "would require substantial modifications to the building's form and architecture." The approved plan uses painted cement board siding and metal awnings. The city let the brand colors stand on a building that was never Colonial. It held the line on anything that would have put a line of customers on the Lennon Street sidewalk.

Nine parking spaces, found next door

Parking was the other open question. The city planner's report found that the zoning ordinance calls for nine off-street spaces for this use, and the lot behind the building has room for two. The August recommendation expected a parking variance. The applicant made the variance unnecessary by working out a shared parking agreement with Emcura, the neighbor at 20599 Mack. Under that agreement, Little Ghost gets exclusive use of 10 marked spaces around the clock, and Emcura handles snow removal, lighting and striping. That brings the total to 12 dedicated spaces against a requirement of nine.

City Council took up the request on Oct. 5. The draft council minutes record discussion of trash, rodents, noise, lights and traffic, plus a suggestion that hosing down dumpsters could be made a requirement. The minutes also note two points raised in response. The early crowds in Ferndale tapered off within six to eight weeks, and about 90% of orders are placed online. The motion passed 5–2, with four conditions attached:

1. No deliveries before 9 a.m.
2. The shared parking agreement must be accepted by the City Attorney, signed, and filed with the city.
3. A photometric lighting plan must go through administrative review.
4. Signage must be submitted separately.

The Woods space is 2,112 square feet according to the city's planning documents. The Free Press described it as about twice the size of the Ferndale shop, with a larger kitchen. No alcohol will be served. The hours in the application were 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Between Fleetwood and Lancaster, the windows stay uncovered

Two weeks before the Little Ghost vote, council approved a request that was harder to picture. It was an indoor golf simulator at 20439 Mack, in a 3,000-square-foot former real estate office on the west side of the street between Fleetwood and Lancaster. Grosse Pointe News reported that owner Tyler Walker plans four bays, a putting green and 24-hour access, with an opening "sometime in January or February." Walker told the paper he expects some business "from people who work a late shift or just feel like hitting some balls late at night." Grosse Pointe News calls the business Full Send Golf Simulators. The Sept. 21 council minutes list it as Cyber Swing.

The minutes show council's questions. They covered noise, light shielding for nearby homes, accessible entrances, age limits, and running around the clock with no employees on site. The approval passed unanimously, and its first condition reads like a street-design rule rather than a business rule:

"All doors and windows parallel to Mack Avenue are to remain uncovered at all times, to contribute to an active street presence."

The windows may be covered at night. Special events, tournaments, camps and clinics are limited to 9 a.m. through 11 p.m., the hours similar businesses on Mack keep. Occupancy is capped at 20 people. The business will be reviewed six months after it opens. During the day, people walking past on Mack will be able to see the bays through the front glass.

The one that's already open

The third newcomer was built around the sidewalk from the start. Little Nest Coffee Roasters held its grand opening on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 21003 Mack on the corner of Hampton. Grosse Pointe News reported that co-owners Taylor Spencer, Jason Spencer and Lindsay Marcano picked the spot partly because "this is within walking distance of our houses." The project had been in the works long before the opening. A Little Nest site plan for 21003–21011 Mack was on the Planning Commission agenda in April 2025.

Inside is a lot of room for a coffee counter. The Birdhouse is a playroom for infants and toddlers. The Aviary is a community room, and the shop has said it will host pop-ups, kids' yoga, postpartum support groups and craft workshops there. The roasting room has a large window so customers can watch the beans being roasted. Little Nest roasts its own coffee and is currently offering three single-origin beans and a decaf. Younger customers can order a Babyccino, which is steamed milk dusted with cocoa or cinnamon, or a Honey Bear Latte. A bench along one wall has outlets for laptops.

"Our goal is to be a community place that is accessible to everyone," Spencer told Grosse Pointe News. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, and details are on littlenestcoffee.com.

Three addresses, one pattern

Read together, the three approvals say the city cares less about what a business sells than about how it behaves at the front edge of its lot. A burger shop got its pink as long as the line stays inside. An all-night golf simulator got its hours as long as its front glass stays clear during the day. The coffee shop put its roasting room behind a window from the start.

The pavement underneath

All of this is landing on a street that is still under construction. Wayne County's resurfacing of Mack from Cook Road to Base Line began Aug. 10. Grosse Pointe News reported it as a 1.58-mile, $3.9 million project. Public Works Director Jim Kowalski told the paper the work took longer because more sidewalk crossing ramps needed ADA upgrades than first expected. The city's project page expects substantial completion in late fall 2026, weather permitting. Some signage and turf seeding may carry into spring. Those rebuilt crossing ramps sit in front of the same blocks where the new businesses will rely on foot traffic. If the schedules hold, the golf simulator opens early next year and Little Ghost follows soon after, on a freshly paved street.

Between now and then, the city calendar fills the gap. Woods Aglow is listed for Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. at City Hall. At Ghesquiere Park, the Grosse Pointe Woods Foundation says its new 20-by-40-foot pavilion is under construction, with eight picnic tables and a December 2026 completion target.

Mack Avenue in the Woods will look different by spring, and much of how it will look was settled in this fall's council and planning meetings. If you're thinking about your own place on one of these blocks and want to know how the newest stretch of Mack fits into its value, Closing and Toasting would be glad to walk you through it. Start with an instant home valuation, and we'll take it from there.