While the historic Book Tower in downtown Detroit has been vacant for decades, when it reopened last year following a $400-million restoration by Bedrock Detroit, more than a few guests thought the Parisian-inspired brasserie Le Suprême had been there for years.
“There’s no greater compliment than creating an authentic space,” says Randall T. Cook, co-founder and CEO of Method Co. in Philadelphia, which designed, programmed, and operates all of the restaurant and hospitality spaces in the Book Tower. “Because our guests think the restaurant has been there a long time, our team did its job.”
If Le Suprême could be picked up and reset along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, it would fit right in. Typical of its French counterparts, Le Suprême — which serves dinner along with a weekend brunch — features brass, colorful tile patterns, wood floors and trim, stained glass, and high ceilings. It also embraces the Art Deco style long favored in Detroit, which was founded by French settlers in 1701.
As part of the first-floor space along Washington Boulevard, the brasserie, complete with hand-painted lettering on the windows, offers a 24-person private room, a wine room, and a pastry kitchen that fronts the Book Tower’s grand, three-story lobby. As a natural extension, Le Suprême provides shareable fare in the lobby, in an area called Bar Rotunda.
“We got involved with Bedrock early on in the Book Tower restoration by bringing in (the 117-room) ROOST Apartment Hotel,” Cook says. “From there, we asked Bedrock what they were doing with their retail spaces, and we put a deal together. One goal we had was to make all of the restaurant spaces appear as original to the building (it was opened in 1926 by J. Burgess Jr., Herbert, and Frank Book).”
Along with Le Suprême, Method Co. operates Kamper’s, named for Louis Kamper, the architect who designed the 38-story tower and neighboring 13-story Book Building. The indoor/outdoor cocktail lounge, set on the roof of the Book Building, offers sweeping views of the downtown skyline.
In addition, there’s Sakazuki, a casual sake and sando pub on the first floor, and Hiroki-San, offering izakaya and omakase-style dining just below. For larger events, the Conservatory Ballroom on the 13th floor of the Book Building, which features a stained-glass roof, includes an open-air rooftop bar, a private suite, and room for 225 seated guests or 300 people for a strolling reception.
“While we have hotels and restaurants in multiple cities, we hire local people for each establishment because we feel they know the given area and there’s better synergy,” Cook says. “It also helps limit turnover. That’s been a key to meeting our growth plans. We ended 2023 with 625 employees, and we plan to have 1,000 employees by the end of 2024.”
