BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (WXYZ) — Hunter House Hamburgers, famous for its sliders for more than 70 years, is almost ready to open its doors to a new location after more than a year of construction and operating out of a temporary setup.
The restaurant rebuilt its space to feel exactly like the original, co-owner Kelly Cobb said.
"We wanted to make sure that when customers walked through the doors that they're going to go wow this is exactly like I remember it," Cobb said.
WATCH: Birmingham's historic Hunter House Hamburgers prepares to open doors at new Woodward Avenue home
I got the first look inside the new space with Cobb, who walked me through the familiar details customers can expect.
"We rebuilt this area identically to our old one so we'll have our old grill back up here, we'll have our meat fridge was, where it's always been," Cobb said.
The Birmingham staple first announced its move in November 2025, leaving the iconic Woodward Avenue building where it had been serving burgers since 1952. Its new home is just under a mile down the road.
"We effectively got kicked out of our old building," Cobb said.
Turning a former KFC into a replica of the original Hunter House was no small task, Cobb said.
"All that sort of custom work, it takes a lot of time but it was more important for us to get the details exactly right than to gain two weeks at the end of it all," Cobb said.
While construction was underway, the restaurant kept serving customers from a temporary setup — and for some loyal customers, the wait has been worth it.
"It's going to be new and exciting," loyal customer Mimi Sasson said.
"We're all very excited," loyal customer Nicholas Even said.
Even through the transition, the regulars stayed loyal.
"We still came," Sasson said.
"I love this place," Even said.
When we first reported on the move a few months back, another burger place had moved into Hunter House's old spot, leading to a lawsuit. We asked Cobb how that situation was going.
"We wish them well. They had to change some signage and put up signs to say who they were, and they did, and we moved forward," Cobb said.
Now, the focus is on the future.
"Next year in April we'll be 75 years old and this is going to last us another 75 years and we're just excited for what the future holds for it," Cobb said.
Starting next week, customers can finally experience the new space for themselves.
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