Partner Eli Boyer Leaves Gold Cash Gold, Plans Casual Downtown Restaurant

Metro Detroit native and Gold Cash Gold partner Eli Boyer has left the Corktown eatery to pursue new projects in downtown Detroit. Boyer, who honed his industry skills at the Chicago-based DMK Restaurants (DMK Burger Bar, Ada Street, County Barbeque, and more.), sees opportunities for hyper-focused casual dining in Detroit's growing restaurant market. "I think that there's a real opportunity to do more hyper-focused casual restaurants, more casual than what you've seen out there," he says.

"I think that there's a real opportunity to do more hyper-focused casual restaurants."

Boyer's last day at GCG was May 26 and he says there's nothing "salacious" about his decision to leave. While he declined to discuss the financial specifics of giving up his partnership at the eatery he says, "it's a split where we both thought would be good," adding, "I have no reason to believe they won't be successful going forward."

"I moved back to Michigan to open restaurants — not just one restaurant but multiple restaurants, and this will give me an opportunity to do that. I'm so proud of Gold Cash Gold and the restaurant is in such good hands."

While he would not reveal the locations, Boyer confirms he's already looking at properties (he had an appointment to view a space later today). "It's not going to be on the outskirts of downtown. I want it to be front-and-center downtown in a kind of high-profile location."

Adding a burger to Gold Cash Gold's menu only helped to reinforce Boyer's feeling that the city needs more single-item casual dining options — places like DMK that only served burgers. "When we put that burger on the menu it became our top selling item. Josh makes a delicious burger too, which helps, and so across the street you see Mercury Burger Bar and the kind of business that they do and any other kind of burger place, that Five Guys downtown . . . I'd like to focus on something that's scalable. Something that is not a one-location type of place."

"Opening Gold Cash Gold only gives me more confidence to dive back in and do something else. I think right now is the time to do it and I don't want to miss that time. Big players in the restaurant game are going to be coming to town, they already are coming to town, and I want to take advantage of it while I can."