“Operate from a position of generosity and humanity. Watch how it benefits your business.” This simple statement is key to the working philosophy of Phillis Engelbert, owner of the Detroit Street Filling Station, North Star Lounge, and The Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe in Ann Arbor. The concepts of generosity and humanity might not be the most common buzz words in today’s business culture, and her central tenet doesn’t come without a cost—but that is not what concerns Engelbert. She recommends it for reasons that transcend the financials.
Having a loyal, trustworthy, and skillful staff does benefit the bottom line. However, her motivations are much more heart centered. She is truly driven to create a positive and supportive work environment because that is the right thing to do. “I have always strongly believed that staff need a living wage,” Engelbert said. “And we look at this more holistically.” A living is more than just income. “We want our team to feel valued and seen.” Paid time off, sick leave, health coverage, a fitness stipend, and a generous starting salary are offered to her whole team voluntarily. “I don’t have to. But I wouldn’t do it any other way. Intention matters.”
Engelbert doesn’t judge her business by a traditional measure of success. She is driven to create a basis for a shared success. “I have found that it is best practice to pay people a living wage and to give them paid sick time, as well as other benefits.” She believes that being an employer carries a true responsibility in society. “How can I expect my employees to live a decent life if I am not doing what I can for my people?” she asked. “No, I am not the norm. I have never been the norm.”
Today, Engelbert employs 44 team members in a stable schedule throughout the three locations—and all this started at a party.
When I ask her why, she tells me about the big backyard parties that she hosted the year she quit her corporate gig. “It all started with a sense of joy.” She recounted how much she loved shopping locally, cooking, and gathering with neighbors. “We all chipped in together.” Building community was the initial impetus for all of Engelbert’s undertakings. It was 2010 when Engelbert’s life and career took a drastic turn. “This was the first time I gave myself a chance to not work,” she noted about this time of burnout. “I had been neck deep in social justice work for decades.” For six months she let herself do whatever she felt like doing. Along with her neighbor, Joel Panozzo, they expanded from backyards into hosting a series of pop-up meals in retail spaces. They were both social justice activists, both vegan, and both loved hosting. “Everything felt possible,” she mused. “The philosophy behind our business has always been that “work” should be the pursuit of what you love and should reflect your values, passions, and interests.”
Their casual backyard repast took an upturn when they invited friends to their elegant, three course, plant-based dinner parties at the florist shop Pot and Box. “Why vegan? Eating a vegan diet is essential to a philosophy of non-violence. The space was so gorgeous with all the living plants and flowers and with the vibrant food and friends. Plus, we always had a musical act.” Their kids or young friends were offered the stage. [It was] just another way these gatherings grew the foundation of her burgeoning community. With this enthusiasm, the partners expanded their undertaking again for Mark’s Carts. “Even that was a community process.” They held a kickstarter party to build their food truck. Neighbors, friends, and their kids gathered for the build-out on their driveway over big pots of chili. “It was very joyful—always an infusion of life.”
From 2011-2017 Mark Hodesh created and ran Mark’s Carts, a small food truck yard in the parking lot behind their long-standing business, Downtown Home and Garden. Engelbert and her team crafted their food truck with flowers and herbs growing on top, a pair of speakers, and a ladder up the side to the tiny roof deck with patio furniture for two. “The Karts became a celebratory place, where people would gather and have fun.” They had two successful seasons that strengthened their concept and community. “We had these contests (Bad Joke Thursday, Bigbird’s Birthday, or Imaginary Friend Friday) to win a free cookie.”
As their menu expanded, they realized that they had outgrown the food truck. The Lunch Room operated in its Kerrytown location from 2013-2020. Engelbert described the offerings as ‘healthy and decadent.’ The eclectic fair shined with a wide variety of influences from Asian and Mexican to American and beyond. “We had something for everyone.” With nearly everything locally sourced and made by scratch, some items like the Cuban black beans have been offered since day one. “I worked hard on the mac and “cheese,” she said. So many iterations went into getting the cashew cream just right for the popular dish. “People are picky about their comfort foods.” Behind the scenes, Engelbert would make her own big bowls for lunch. “The Power-up Bowl and the Lumberjack Salad— those were both just me.” The kitchen staff appreciated and replicated her daily concoctions to perfection. Now [they are] two of the most well-loved items on the menu. When people ask if they can make the dishes at home, “By all means,” she answers. The recipes are all published on their website. “They are welcome to if they want. But some of the dishes have at least five different recipes.” It isn’t simple but it works. The same is true both of the delicious recipes and the admirable organization. “It is kind of a complex puzzle. But it works.” Englebert said her staff and practices overlap throughout their three locations. Most of her employees serve at more than one spot. Their loyalty is long-lasting, and it is earned.
Their next effort, the Detroit Filling Station, opened in 2017 across from Kerrytown on the original bricked Detroit Street. Its colorful front porch is surrounded by flowering plants. Sun umbrellas bedeck the tables along the sidewalk seating, and the tight top of this triangle lot is arranged to accommodate a musical act. “We book trios since that is about all the room there is,” Ryan Shea, Engelbert’s son and now the booking agent for both Kerrytown spots, reported. For five years the Detroit Filling Station had an active calendar of live music in its bar and front patio. In the warmer months the lunch crowd is packed in tightly. “When some would try to dance along to the live act, it was super fun, but mayhem for the waiters to try to get to the tables with their arms full of plates,” said Shay. “When the North Star opened, the groups that played on the Detroit Street patio became our house bands on Thursday and Friday nights.”
It was in 2022 that the vision for the North Star Lounge began to take shape when the neighboring business space became available during covid. The classic brick building, built in 1887, was originally built as a horse barn. It is just 600 square feet divided between two floors. So, embracing the idea wasn’t without obstacles, but their commitment to sharing live music was strong. Against all odds, Engelbert felt the opportunity couldn’t be denied. They took on the build-out of the space like a Tetris game. “It was the first space I ever personally designed. It fulfilled a dream to step into that role, to let those abilities and aesthetics show themselves.” Though it was her initial effort, again Englebert shared the credit with her whole community. “Our employees painted the watery mural that leads to the stairs.” For the painting project on the front fence, “We projected the image onto the wood and let friends paint it. And then people just walking by joined us,” she marveled. “It was so much fun.”
Now a chiminea fire-pit and patio seating make the outdoor area an important overflow for the tight quarters. Upstairs, the stage tucks in along the back wall, booths along the left and tables enough to seat a total of 35 guests. “It is tight, but it allows for plenty of interaction between performers and audience.” And the space has found an ideal small space success. The calendar is full, with a number of popular weekly events, four nights each week. Wednesdays through Saturdays usually have two seatings per night. Happy hour is free from 5:30 to 6:30. Shea shared, “We refer to Wednesdays as ‘Community Night,’ dedicated to audience participation, such as comedy shows, karaoke nights, improv performances, fundraisers and our very popular monthly open mic night.” LGBTQIA Thursdays, and often a double bill each weekend keeps the small room humming. Fridays are their most successful nights by far. The Pontiac Trail Blazers have an almost cult following. “People have a really good time. I have heard that people have created their whole friendship group from people they met here.”
This spring, Olivia Van Goor returns with her fifth sell-out jazz vocalists cabaret series. “I noticed that there wasn’t anything like this in the area and I knew many aspiring jazz vocalists that needed more opportunities to sing with a band and a live audience.” Engelbert and Shea are fans of these sorts of shows. “The common thread is that they are all engaging to anyone and everyone in attendance,” Shea shared about his booking philosophy.
“I want the village. The whole village. I feel that is missing for so many of us,” Engelbert expressed. She makes the North Star space available for solidarity groups and other organizations to gather on the other days. This is so much more than just an eatery and venue. This is her social justice mission, with a menu. “What North Star does for me, it demonstrates what humans can be, and what we can do. We can create such meaningful relationships. We can create beauty,” she shared. This uncommon protocol is more than a business decision. Engelbert acts from a deeper well. “Imagine if people were compassionate with each other and there was enough to go around, and we had these cultural explosions. Humans are capable of this.” She obviously is here to serve more than lunch. Phillis Engelbert wears her heart on her sleeve and her convictions are expressed in real time, as she crafts and caters for a greater purpose. It is present in her conversations, in her choices, and on her website. Take the time to tour the pages to see their current charities, generous innovations, and other inspired offerings.
In a place of pride on the first floor of the North Star is a portrait of Harriet Tubman. “As I was meditating on a name [for this new space], I wanted to find something meaningful and expressive. I looked to my portrait of Harriet Tubman. She is a constant inspiration, and I realized that the ‘North Star’ was her guiding light. This is a safe space, so I wanted a name that evokes that message and honors her memory beautifully,” said Engelbert.
The Detroit Filling Station Vegan Restaurant is located at 300 Detroit Street, Ann Arbor. The live music venue, North Star Lounge is next door at 301 North 5th Ave, Ann Arbor, and their Lunch Room Bakery and Cafe is in North Ann Arbor at 2200 Fuller Ct #8b. Visit each restaurant’s website for merchandise, to order online, or to support their many charities and causes, and to purchase show tickets at thelunchrooma2.com/detroit-street-filling-station-1, or nstarlounge.com.
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“Operate from a position of generosity and humanity. Watch how it benefits your business.” This simple statement is key to the working philosophy of Phillis Engelbert, owner of the Detroit Street Filling Station, North Star Lounge, and The Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe in Ann Arbor. The concepts of generosity and humanity might not be the most common buzz words in today’s business culture, and her central tenet doesn’t come without a cost—but that is not what concerns Engelbert. She recommends it for reasons that transcend the financials.