DETROIT — The first 10 fans in line got their first taste of Mom's Spaghetti on Wednesday, and it was hand-served by Eminem himself.
The Detroit rapper spent several minutes manning the alley window of the new eatery on Woodward Avenue, handing out takeout boxes of spaghetti and taking selfies.
Eminem was on hand for only a few minutes before his entourage zoomed away in a pair of SUVs, chased Beatlemania-style down Woodward by packs of fans.
It was a rare public appearance by the generally reclusive star, part of a festive set of activities that included the Cass Tech Marching Band parading down Woodward playing Em's "Lose Yourself."
Fans lined two blocks along Woodward ahead of the restaurant's official 5 p.m. opening. Many had camped out since Wednesday morning.
The spot from the Detroit rapper is within Union Assembly restaurant, a recently opened restaurant on the ground floor of Little Caesars world headquarters on Woodward Avenue across from Comerica Park.
The Mom's Spaghetti walk-up window is in an alley between Union Assembly and the Fillmore. Above the window is a sign featuring a red heart, with a fork through it and a sash with the "Mom's Spaghetti' name.
As the name implies, the menu is all spaghetti, and it's a simple menu with just a few items. There's Mom's Spaghetti for $9, Mom's Spaghetti with Meatballs for $12 and a 'Sghetti Sandwich for $11. A vegan option, according to momsspaghetti.com, is spaghetti with rabbit balls for $14. Vegan rabbit balls are made with black beans, quinoa and sweet peppers. Pepsi product beverages and water are $4 each.
The project is a partnership with Union Joints Restaurant Group, co-owned by Curt Catallo; his wife, Ann Stevenson, and managing partner Erich Lines. Union Joints also owns long-standing suburban restaurant hot spots Clarkston Union, Union Woodshop, Vinsetta Garage and more.
The eatery is described as a "small bodega space" inside Union Assembly.
"The opportunity to build a permanent location based on an incredibly meta-reference was one that everyone at Union Joints, as a Metro Detroit restaurant group, took very seriously," Catallo said in a news release. "We’re proud of the fact that we created a scratch sauce that tastes like it’s straight from the jar, and wok-firing the noodles gives it that leftover pasta snap."
On Union Assembly's second floor is a merchandise store called the Trailer, a nod to B Rabbit's mobile home in "8 Mile." Items include vintage Detroit apparel and Shady Records shirts, mugs and other items.
The store will exhibit rotating items from the Eminem archives. On display now are the rapper's original superhero costume from the "Without Me" music video and a pair of his custom Nike Air Jordan "Shady XV" sneakers.
The only seating available is next to the Trailer.
Stevenson, Catallo's wife, designed the Trailer space.
Catallo described the Trailer as "something that belongs in Detroit, and it feels right at home in this space.” It is described as a small space and will be limited to eight customers, or "Stans," at a time.
TV teasers were swirling last week suggesting a permanent Mom's Spaghetti was opening in Detroit, possibly next to Union Assembly.
The new eatery takes its name from the famous opening verse of Eminem’s biggest hit, 2002’s “Lose Yourself.” In the song, he describes a nervous rapper with sweaty palms, weak knees and a tummy that's uncooperative with mom's dinner.
Eminem’s association with Catallo dates to at least 2010, when Catallo’s design agency, Union AdWorks, collaborated on a Chrysler commercial with a choir singing “Lose Yourself.” The ad was a prequel to Eminem’s Super Bowl spot with Chrysler the next year.
In 2017, Union Joints set up a Mom’s Spaghetti pop-up at the Shelter in downtown Detroit — a club where Eminem performed in his days before global fame.
Paul Rosenberg, Eminem's manager, said in a statement that "previous pop-ups were really a test for us to determine whether there was enthusiasm for a regularly occurring Mom’s Spaghetti spot that would be open all year long."
The new Eminem restaurant is three blocks from the former site of Kid Rock’s Made in Detroit, a Little Caesars Arena dining spot that closed in 2019 amid protests. The rap-rocker had come under fire from local activist groups for his support of President Donald Trump and an onstage outburst directed at Oprah Winfrey.
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For more information on Mom's Spaghetti, go to momsspaghetti.com or call 313-888-8388.
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