ANN ARBOR, MI — Romeo parents Matthew and Teresa Kavanaugh travel all over the state for their three sons’ AAA travel hockey games. They saw a need for healthier and fresher food options at ice rinks.
Their chain of ice arena eateries has expanded to Ann Arbor with plans to do the same in Chelsea.
The Kavanaugh’s recently opened a Chop Detroit eatery at the Biggby Coffee Ice Cube — Ann Arbor, where they specialize in signature sandwiches, salads, soups, and pizza.
They are also in the midst of renovating an upper floor space previously used for banquets and events at the hockey and figure skating rink. It will become a bar and grill overlooking the rink called CD Top Shelf.
Chelsea’s ice arena is next, the Kavanaugh’s said. An express version of Chop Detroit, specializing in soups and smoothies, is expected to open at the concession stand at the Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea this year.
They are also taking over the Arctic Breakaway sports bar inside the arena, where they plan to keep the existing menu and staff while adding their own dishes. They also plan to install two Trackman golf simulators there.
In about a year and a half, they have taken over several rink concessions stands, converting them into quick-serve eateries with “healthy” menu options, Matthew Kavanaugh said. “People don’t expect to find their favorite sandwich at a hockey rink,” he said. “It’s fun to flip the script on people.” The family has traveled so much for their son’s hockey games, “it’s to the point where we almost set up beds (at rinks) and changed our mailing address,” he joked. “I thought, how can we improve concessions to add an amenity to the rink,” he said. Most of the recipes are Teresa Kavanaugh’s creations. She teaches 7th and 8th grade science at Shelby Junior High School in Shelby Township. “She comes from an Italian family, so she very much loves to come up with new sandwich ideas,” Matthew Kavanaugh said. He had a hand in creating the concept as well. He had watch some viral videos online of people chopping up a bunch of ingredients and putting them on hoagie rolls. “I made them for my kids, and they loved it. They are picky eaters, so I thought, if my boys like this and it passed the kid test, maybe other people will like it,” he said. Founding Chop Detroit and CD Top Shelf is a new career path for him that allows him to spend more time with their children. He previously worked for a medical device company.
The “Italian Clapper” sandwich is their “top seller,” Kavanaugh said. The sandwich features capicola, salami, pepperoni, ham, lettuce, banana pepper, tomato, onion, deli sauce, Italian dressing and provolone cheese. The “Lamplighter,” with Italian beef, and the “Dirty Dangler,” with turkey, ham, and fried jalapeño chips, are also popular, he said. Their other locations include a Chop Detroit and CD Top Shelf at the Biggby Coffee Ice Cube — Brighton, formerly called the Kensington Valley Ice House. They also have locations at the Mount Clemens Ice Arena and the Hazel Park Ice Arena. “We have three other locations that we are evaluating now,” Kavanaugh said. He said “the five-year plan” is to expand to Ohio and Indiana and to franchise at some point. “The brand is getting more recognition, especially in the Michigan hockey and figure skating communities,” he said. The ultimate dream: to have a location inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.