Telway Hamburgers (Original)
Reviewed: Neil Dishman
Date: October 29, 2009
Address: 6820 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI, USA (between Lonyo and Livernois)
Misc: 59 degrees, partly cloudy
Cost: 4 burgers $2.25
A trade show at Cobo Hall brought me into Detroit on this Thursday afternoon. I tracked down the address of the Original Telway Hamburger location and preceded to what I hoped would be a sort of homecoming. Having grown in Madison Heights, I was very familiar with the sister location at John R and 11 Mile.
The original Telway opened in 1944 and has been open every day since (that’s right 365 days a year, 24 hours a day) – for 65 years. You’ll find it on Michigan Avenue, 5 short blocks west of Livernois, just outside the heart of Detroit’s Mexican town. The building shows it’s age, but the inside takes you back in time. Seven stools, pulled up join the chrome counters, and workhorse grill. On this day at 2:45 in the afternoon, all the seats are filled. A take-out area to the side is where the same lady takes your order, the same lady who has taken orders there for as long as anyone can remember. Unlike the Madison Heights location, a small pick-up area is to the right of the window to ease the flow of traffic.
Although I was there for only a short time, an order of 8 burgers, then 8 more, then 20, my 4 and then 12 more after mine all are placed. Within 15 minutes all are delivered piping hot, and served the Telway way, wrapped in thin wax paper, grease reaching the bag’s sides. The lady behind the counter, the sister-in law of the owner I came to find out, said they serve three times the number of burgers as the MH location. It is a steady stream as people come from all around to confirm that these are special burgers, crafted with an old school recipe, and worth any wait or distance traveled. I waited in line with a man from Dearborn Heights, who drove in for a snack of 8, and another gentleman, who said he had been coming since his family moved into the neighborhood when he was 5. He celebrated his 50th birthday recently.
A man at the counter, wearing his Vietnam Veteran hat, said one thing brought him back, every day. “Not the burgers”, he said, “it’s the cocaine coffee, stuffs addicting.” The counter patrons all agreed.
The burgers arrived, smothered in onions, joined by a ketchup and mustard sauce, and some thin dill pickle slices on top. The bun was fresh, but that’s no surprise considering the volume of burgers served fresh daily. One bite brought me back to days of my youth and the burgers I’d had from the other store. The smell of the burgers seeps into your pores, the burgers themselves disappear as fast as they are made. The burgers were as expected, a little piece of heaven, served from a place whose atmosphere is second to none. Tasty burgers, good service, and a great price. A full belly for $2.25, who can beat that?
Every successful business needs a good product, good service and loyal customers who will spread the word. For 65 years, the Telway has been successful at providing just that. Based on my experience, I’m sure they’ll see another 65 more.
Rating: Five Stogies
Categories: 5, Neil Dishman