Oak Park Social

OAK PARK SOCIAL OPENED THEIR DOORS ON MARCH 12, 2021. A FULL-SERVICE RESTAURANT WITH A FULL BAR AND OUTDOOR PATIO SEATING, OPS IS LOCATED ON 11 MILE, KITTY-CORNER FROM THE OAK PARK WATER TOWER AND LESS THAN A MILE FROM DOWNTOWN BERKLEY.

Guests enter an industrial-inspired space focused on machine shop engineering design elements. Having a background in engineer-ing might not seem like an obvious spring-board for becoming a restauranteur but, for Alexander Bishai, it has been the case. “Engineers are supposed to improve process-es,” he explains. “They’re not supposed to say ‘I already know everything about it and this is how it should be done’ right away – you gotta’ get the data first.”

In his restaurant, the data comes from the people who deal with the customers directly: the servers. “All of the servers tell me what they need, and I’m basically there working for them. It’s been a successful model.”

The model he’s talking is Oak Park Social, which started offering takeout in December of 2020 and then opened fully in March 2021. “We wanted to create a space that people would enjoy, a space with a vibe that people are attracted to and that’s conducive to long stays,” Alexander says. The gastropub-style menu features items like beef tenderloin tips, grilled salmon and cheeseburgers, all of which are made from scratch using locally sourced ingredients.

Recently, the beloved French Dip has made a comeback, and the dessert menu is in the process of getting new items. Weather permitting, the craft cocktails can be sipped either inside or outside on the almost-2,000-square-feet patio. (And yes, the patio is dog-friendly.)

OAK PARK SOCIAL WAS THE FIRST TO OPEN in what’s now the Oak Park Water Tower Social District. “We kicked off the area and took a risk,” says Alexander.

That risk has paid off, with the same hospitality group that owns Oak Park Social set to hopefully open a Mexican restaurant before the end of the year. Salud Eleven will be a full-blown tequila bar just west of Oak Park Social and will offer an almost entirely gluten-free menu paired with ten arcade games at the back of the restaurant. Even before the restaurant opens its doors, Salud hopes to have a taco cart serving samples of their future fare. And they’ll have a patio, too, albeit a slightly smaller one than Oak Park Social’s. (It would be tough to top what’s currently the biggest patio in the area.)

“A restaurant is an art medium where we can sprinkle on our design,” Alexander says. “It’s kind of like a public canvas where we can create a vibe and energy in a space – that’s literally what makes it fun for us.”

Having another canvas right next to the first one will allow the chefs, the staff and everyone involved to express their creativity. The culinary family already also includes a hot dog cart, aptly named Dogs in the Park. It’s sometimes parked in the social district and sometimes at the Home Depot in Southfield, and it might be popping up at other nearby areas soon. Meanwhile, Oak Park Social will be hosting bring-your-own-vinyl nights on Wednesdays and will have live DJs on Saturdays.

All of these endeavors have been part of Alexander’s chameleon-like transformation over the years from working in corporate America to being a general contractor to building and operating restaurants.

“It’s been a gradual evolution inspired by taking constructive feedback from the community,” he explains. “When you have an idea about what you want to do, you’ll end up changing the course a little bit in a good way.” Like bringing back that French Dip!

14691 W Eleven Mile Rd, Oak Park

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