BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (WXYZ) — A beloved Birmingham burger joint is relocating after more than seven decades of serving sliders on the same corner.
Hunter House Hamburgers, which has been serving customers since 1952, is moving about a mile down Woodward Avenue to a new building. The iconic white building that has housed the restaurant for 72 years will soon be empty as the business transitions to a former KFC location.
Watch Christiana Ford's video report below:
Longtime customer Cynthia Wilsher has been visiting Hunter House since she was a child.
"Since they opened when I was 8 or 9 years old and we've been eating burgers here every since," Wilsher said.
The small restaurant continues to draw loyal customers who wait for sliders fresh off the grill. Regular customer Rashad Straughter praised the consistent quality.
"I come here all the time," Straughter said. "The onions are always good, fries are always good, crispy. Everything is always fresh."
Despite the location change, customers say they plan to follow the restaurant to its new home.
"Gonna be a little different but as long as they still on Woodward, they're right here," Straughter said.
Wilsher emphasized the importance of maintaining the restaurant's character in the move.
"I will continue to come wherever they go," Wilsher said. "They have to bring the grill with them. The store is one thing, but the grill is well seasoned."
Co-owner Kelly Cobb assured customers that the famous grill and nearly everything else from the original location will make the journey to the new site.
"We're literally replicating it on that site and whatever we can take here to put in there, we're gonna do it. It needs to be the same place," Cobb said.
Cobb explained that the decision to move came after years of property disputes and the current building's inability to handle customer demand.
"Extremely hard decision, but the reality for us is there's been property dispute on this land for about 20 years and we had to file lawsuits, we had to fight for it and at the same time that's been happening, our store was built to handle 20% of the people that come through here every day," Cobb said.
The new location promises improvements including faster service and twice as much parking space.
Starting Nov. 1, Hunter House will serve food from the kitchen while customers dine in a heated and sealed outdoor tent during the building's transformation. The same staff will be in place.
"We're gonna make it look just like this Hunter House," Cobb said.
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