Jordan's on the River

While I never went there, I remember passing this business all of the time when I was in Rosedale Park. I decided to look a little deeper into the history of this business.  I had no idea that it was in business for such a long period of time.

The owner of the business for 49 years, was Jordan Ristich. He was born in 1905 in Bitola, Macedonia and passed away in August of 2004 in Northville, Michigan.  In 1921, Mr. Ristich was sent by his parents to live with friends in Windsor, Ontario.  He eventually ended up working for Ford Motor Company and then opened his first restaurant across from the Ford Rouge plant. He married his wife, Paraska, who was also from Macedonia.

Jordan Ristich

In 1926, he opened his main restaurant, named Rosedale Lunch, located at Grand River and Fenkell. Mr. Ristich was known within the Detroit community as a person who was willing to help fellow immigrants find work. After the end of prohibition in December of 1933, the restaurant applied for and was given a license to serve alcohol and became "Jordan's Bar & Restaurant." Eventually, Mr. Ristich changed the name of the restaurant to "Jordan's on the River," named not for being near an actual river, but for being on "Grand River Avenue." Mr. Ristich apparently sold the business in 1975 and continued in the restaurant business to some degree in Plymouth.  I was unable to find out online who he sold the business to. 

From what I could find, it looks like Jordan's had great steak sandwiches and hamburgers and was a regular hangout for Rosedale residents. There are numerous stories of margaritas and a waitress named Annette. Here is a great story on National Public Radio about Mr. Ristich around 1944. Jordan's continued on until the mid-2000s or so (2007 or so I believe) and was closed.  If anyone has information on this apparent institution, please comment and I will revise it later.