The Buchanans wanted to expand Lucky Detroit into Royal Oak over the last four to five years and would “drive up and down” the area looking for a location.

“This is the first location (in Royal Oak) that all the stars aligned, and it was able to … cross off every single box that we wanted,” Chad Buchanan said. “So I would say that’s probably the most important part about that location is just it’s a perfect location, if we were able to draw it out on paper. As far as location, parking, seating — the whole nine.”

The new locations will offer new menu options. In Royal Oak, the new menu will start in September and open first with its current menu and bakery items.

Although the new menu is not completely solidified, it will consist of simplified, all-day breakfast sandwiches made of clean ingredients for about $10-$12, Buchanan said.

Lucky Detroit’s locations will have extended hours, opening earlier and closing later, compared to its current shops because of their full café model, he said. The expected hours will be 6 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays with shorter weekend hours.

The Royal Oak location has hired 12 people so far. The owners are looking for around 20 employees per location.

“We’re excited to expand into the additional features and services and … build a bigger team,” Jami Buchanan said.

The new Grosse Pointe location at 17001 Kercheval Ave. is 4,100 square feet. They hope to open it at the start of October, Chad Buchanan said.

Currently, the space is home to a Starbucks store, whose lease ends on July 31.

Starbucks “very recently signed a lease for the space at 17030 Kercheval (formerly the Jos. A. Bank space) down the block from their current location,” said Cindy Willcock, executive director at Main Street Grosse Pointe, the city’s Downtown Development Authority. Starbucks’ plan to “swap” street corners was first reported by the Grosse Pointe News.

The manager at the Grosse Pointe Starbucks could not comment on the plans and there was no response to calls and emails to the corporate office Monday.

Although Starbucks’ lease ends at the end of the month, Chad Buchanan said it could be another 30-40 days for it to vacate the space because of a clause in its agreement. Once the space is empty, the Buchanans will be able to evaluate it for interior renovations. The exterior of the building will get a “complete facelift,” replacing the deteriorating wood.

“We try to utilize our own funds and not … loans or additional partners, just because we try to keep it as simple as possible when it comes to running a business,” Chad Buchanan said. “So luckily, we have really good landlords that are really involved in helping renovate their buildings and are covering a very, very large portion of those costs.”

Additionally, Lucky is trying to get city approval for a walk-up food concept in mid-August. The timeline could shift depending on when the space is vacated.

“While we cannot comment further on those logistics at this time, we think that Lucky Coffee will be a great addition to our downtown and are looking forward to seeing how this all comes together,” the DDA’s Willcock said in an email to Crain’s.

Lucky’s carryout-only “micro-cafe” in the barbershop in Grosse Pointe Park will have reduced hours once the new Grosse Pointe location is fully operational.

“We don’t want to eliminate it, because the little community over there loves the walk-up easy in and out. So we will still keep it there,” Chad Buchanan said.

The owners declined to comment on the cost of renovations and the current or projected annual revenue for the Lucky Detroit locations.

The Buchanans said they don’t have any immediate plans to expand Lucky Detroit beyond two new locations and they have “quite a bit to tackle” with their current projects.