“One day, around 10th or 11th grade, David just came up to us out of nowhere and was like ‘I thought of a great name for a restaurant, Buns and Patties’. We made fun of him for a little bit but then we realized we actually liked it,” says one of Buns and Patties owners, Vlad Shamayev.

Buns and Patties is a new late-night restaurant at 2375 Coolidge Hwy in Berkley, where the Tubby’s building used to be. They are planning on opening in early December and their hours will be 11 AM to 1 AM Sunday-Thursday and 11 AM to 3 AM Friday and Saturday. The three owners, David Pinkhasov, Mark Isakov, and Shamayev, have actually had this dream of opening a restaurant since high school. Their experience started in 2012, when they all got their first restaurant job together, and have been in and out of the industry ever since. Because of this, Pinkhasov even says that “the restaurant industry is home for us, it’s what excites me most and what I want to excel at,” one of the many reasons for pursuing their dream.

Although the three of them have always had this dream, it wasn’t a straight shot forward. All three of them had different jobs, including construction jobs and restaurant management, but Isakov says that Pinkhasov was “kind of a catalyst” and that “we were all at a crossroads and [Pinkhasov] had the courage to convince us that we could do it.”

As the main motivator in this restaurant, Pinkhasov shares that one of his inspirations came when he started dating his now fiancee, and “had all of this energy” and realized he didn’t want to “regret not pursuing [his] dream.” With them all recently clearing 30, they knew it was now or never as they wanted to “try an adventure of their own before getting older and not wanting to work as much,” Pinkasov says.

Another motivation of theirs was the lack of late-night dining options within the Woodward Corridor area, but also beyond. Although there are more late-night options in big cities, Berkley only has fast food or pizza open past 12am, and even those options are limited. Isakov states that during COVID, a lot of places started to “shorten up their hours, raise prices, and cut corners on quality” and they “wanted to offer an anecdote where it’s a stylish place and you can get a burger without breaking the bank” while still hanging out at a cool place. Going on, Shamayev expresses, “It’s always been a frustration for me when established places stop caring after they start to become popular just because people are still going to come, because they should care. At the end of the day, this is your business, your field, and you should have pride and dignity in what you’re serving.” This drives his own motivation, to “give guests a place where we know that our motivation will never wane and we will never give subpar service or subpar food even if we become established.” A big personal factor for them was being able to serve late night, since they all have worked in the restaurant industry, they have gotten off work late and had nowhere to eat. Isakov says they’re “trying to serve people like [themselves]” and others that are out late and want a place to hangout.

Although they have had this dream for years, it became real in October of 2023, when the three friends got together and made a menu on a napkin, including their signature smash burger. Since then, there have been many trials and tribulations to overcome, including paperwork, construction, location, and more. Isakov says there were “countless things that it was our first time doing, and [they] just had to figure it out as [they] went.”

In total, they looked at over two dozen buildings, and in June of 2024, they actually signed a lease for a different building, but the Royal Oak City Council denied their opening, this was the first major setback. But, Pinkhasov says this was actually “a blessing in disguise that fell out of the sky” as the Tubby’s building “checked off every box” for them. They have owned the Tubbys’ building since Mar. 1, but just recently started renovating the building in early December. Construction was another big hurdle, as it was $114,000 over the original quota, and they weren’t sure if the bank could lend them more money. But this construction will be for good use, as they are doing a full building upgrade, including painting, lighting fixtures, window shapes, seating, countertop seating, and more.

When asked about what they hope to achieve in the future, Isakov shared their mission statement: “To be that neighborhood joint that always has a good vibe, the music is on point, and you can rely on a place to eat where service is always friendly and food is delicious.” For long-term plans, he continues, “we think Buns and Patties can be a multi-location concept, there’s still a lot of demand for late night dining, not just in the Woodward corridor but beyond.” But, their goal right now is focusing on “doing right by the community and making sure that Buns and Patties is the best for the community that it possibly can be.”

To follow updates on this dream come true, make sure to follow @bunsandpatties.mi on all socials where they are currently posting a video series of behind the scenes content, including interior plans, menu development, and more. You can also visit their website at https://www.bunsandpatties.com/

As Isakov says, “We wouldn’t be here without all three of us and didn’t want to coast through life and look back and wish we took the shot.” With their life-long connection with each other, passion, commitment, and excitement for their opening, make sure to go visit them as Shamayev says, “we encourage all students to walk on over during lunch time or out of school hours and enjoy great food and a great vibe.”