Grace Keros: A Brief Chat With the Boss of American Coney Island

Grace Keros, the very outgoing, third-generation owner of American Coney Island in Detroit, seems to embrace the spirit of the city.

She loves the business, enjoys being in the middle of it all, in the heart of downtown, and isn't shy about offering her opinion.  She says things are going well for the city, but she repeats a common refrain, saying city hall needs to pay more attention to the businesses that have been around for a long time.

In May, a thief grabbed her cell phone from her in broad daylight while she was talking to Fox 2's Charlie LeDuff on the sidewalk outside her shop. LeDuff tackled the culprit and had some help detaining him. But she was mad that it took police 15 minutes to respond.

She manages the business with her partner, her younger brother, Christos Sotiropoulos. They have outlets at Ford Field, the Detroit Zoo and The D Las Vegas Casino and Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. She says the coney dogs are wildly popular in Las Vegas. She says they have plans to open more restaurants, but declined to be more specific.

Allan Lengel of Deadline Detroit sat down with Keros this week to talk about business and Detroit.