Mike & Patty’s Launches a Kickstarter Campaign for Necessary Overhaul

Back in September, Mike & Patty’s owners Mike and Ania Gurevich unexpectedly shuttered the iconic Bay Village breakfast spot, announcing via their website that they were undergoing renovations. The term “renovations” might have been putting it kindly, though. Mike admits that when he and his wife purchased the restaurant in 2013, the endearing “hole-in-the-wall needed some improvements.” But when the city intervened, the Gureviches realized the necessary permitting and construction would have to go far beyond the cosmetic changes they’d always intended to implement.

“We wanted to a remodel in December, which is our slowest month, but the city came in was basically like, ‘this is not going to fly anymore,'” Mike says. “They said we had to get a fire suppression system, which is how this whole remodel got started. Then when we had a fire inspector come in, he said that not only did we have to get a fire suppression system, but we had to cover everything in stainless steel. But to redo all the stainless steel, we have to replace all the sheetrock and plywood. It became this giant avalanche where every time we opened one door, another thing had to be fixed. It was Pandora’s box.”

The Gureviches are now in the process of gutting the place. In addition to the fire Ansul system and the mandatory stainless steel coating, the couple is upgrading the electrical system and adding two new commercial refrigerators, a new meat slicer, and ceramic tile flooring. They’ve also remodeled the kitchen in order to expand the production space, ditched the communal table that consumed most of the dining area, and constructed a wooden bar that will span the length of the tiny 175-square-foot restaurant.

But the couple’s personal savings and the contributions from friends and family haven’t gone nearly far enough. That’s why the Gureviches have launched a 30-day, $20,000 Kickstarter campaign this week to supplement half the $40,000 worth of mandatory upgrades. If all goes well, Mike anticipates reopening by the end of November with a new look and a condensed menu.

That potential new menu will include four Mike & Patty’s classics (The Fancy, Banana Sandwich, Breakfast Torta, and North South Classic), a monthly rotating special, three new sandwiches courtesy of chef Jesse Rosen, and a secret “OG menu” for those who still want to order omitted favorites like the croque-monsieur or breakfast grilled cheese.

And what happens if the Gureviches don’t hit that Kickstarter goal?

Mike concedes they’ve already begun exploring outside investors and loans, but there remains the bleak possibility—expressed by Ania in Mike & Patty’s Kickstarter video—that the institution may never reopen.

12 Church St., Boston; 617-423-3447 or mikeandpattys.com.