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Over the years, the restaurant Lady of the House has received some impressive write-ups in publications like The New York Times, the Detroit Free Press, and Food & Wine magazine.
The celebrated eating spot started on Trumbull in Detroit's Corktown. It first opened in 2017 and closed in 2021, before reopening in 2024 in a quaint little location with outdoor tables at Grand River and Warren in the Core City neighborhood.
But all is not well.
Detroit Free Press food critic Lyndsay C. Green reports that the co-owners are clashing over ownership and the restaurant’s future. The business may close within days.
Green reports that investor Jason Singer has filed a lawsuit in Oakland County alleging mismanagement by chef and co-owner Kate Williams, who told the Free Press that Singer is “a financier stealing a restaurant from the chef who built it.” Singer is seeking monetary damages and wants Williams removed from the business.
Singer says the restaurant is slated to close Monday. Williams insists the closure is only a temporary hiatus amid a partnership change, the Free Press reports.
The lawsuit alleges Williams’ mismanagement has left the business deeply in debt and without funds to operate, and that prior to the 2024 reopening, Williams “facilitated improper payments to herself” totaling $98,000 from June Rose LLC, the catering company that owns Lady of the House.
Williams calls the allegations baseless and says Singer controlled the bank account, bookkeeper, and accountant.
On Wednesday, Williams filed a defamation lawsuit against Singer, alleging his allegations are false, that he doesn't have the authority to terminate her and that she retains her ownership stake in Lady of the House, Crain's Detroit Business reports.
