Thanks to Eminem, You Can Finally Lose Yourself in Mom’s Spaghetti

Look, if Eminem had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything he ever wanted in one moment, I don’t think becoming a restaurateur would top the list. But I also don’t think he’d just let it slip.

With the September 29 opening of Mom’s Spaghetti in his hometown of Detroit, Eminem is channeling his iconic hit “Lose Yourself” in bringing his lyrics to culinary life.

While an aspiring restaurant owner may approach the opening of such a venture with sweaty palms, weak knees, and heavy arms, Eminem is joining forces with Detroit-based Union Joints Restaurant Group to bring the lyrical element to fans in the form of Mom’s Spaghetti.

What began as a pop-up four years ago at The Shelter, a music venue at Detroit’s St. Andrews Hall has evolved into the new iteration in the form of a full-time brick & mortar home. Mom’s Spaghetti redux can be found on-site at Union Joints’ newish Union Assembly restaurant.

“We’ve had a lot of fun putting this project together with the folks at Union Joints, and the response from fans has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Paul Rosenberg, Eminem’s longtime manager. “The previous pop-ups were really a test for us to determine whether there was enthusiasm for a regularly-occurring Mom’s Spaghetti spot that would be open all year long. We are really pleased to announce the arrival of the walk-up restaurant and adjacent upstairs store, called The Trailer, where fans can experience a uniquely-curated environment and obtain merch and other items from Eminem and his new pasta operation.”

Eminem’s partnership with Union Joints grew from the original pop-up to an effort to feed frontline caregivers at eight Detroit-area hospitals and to those administering COVID-19 vaccinations during the peak of the pandemic. Continuing to grow the relationship between the award-winning rapper and Union Joints has been important to the restaurant group’s team.

“When we were first tapped to create the pop-ups it was an honor for all of us involved,” said Union Joints co-owner Curt Catallo, adding “The opportunity to build a permanent location based on an incredibly meta reference was one that everyone at Union Joints, as a Metro Detroit restaurant group, took very seriously. We’re proud of the fact that we created a scratch sauce that tastes like it’s straight from the jar, and wok-firing the noodles gives it that leftover pasta snap. The walk-up window and small diner-like spot for people to eat add to the feeling that this is a homegrown, DIY experience.”

To go with the small physical space, Mom’s Spaghetti will feature a menu with only four items plus pop (For the uninitiated, what you may call soda in other parts of the country, many midwesterners in general and Michiganders more specifically call pop). Fittingly, the four offerings are Mom’s Spaghetti, Mom’s Spaghetti with Meat Balls, Mom’s Spaghetti with Rabbit Balls, which are vegan meatballs, and a ‘Sghetti Sandwich. And yes, the rabbit balls are another nod to the song that inspired the restaurant’s concept.

As Eminem wrote in bringing “Lose Yourself” to a close, you can do anything you set your mind to, man. Winning an Academy Award for the iconic song and ultimately opening a restaurant based on its lyrics proves exactly that.