While Ravi and Sima Thakkar shared details of the upcoming Hummus Republic and Dip Scoop on E. Liberty, they took note of several times when pedestrians peeked through the front window out of curiosity.
Busy foot traffic and a strong college-age population drew the Canton Township couple to downtown Ann Arbor for their first restaurant, which they’re eager to open, perhaps for the Fourth of July weekend, but more likely in time for Art Fair.
Sima says the fast-casual Mediterranean concept was appealing because college students “don’t have time to cook their meals and prep meals and things like that, and they need a healthy base, protein, and all this to get energy.”
The Thakkars were both born in India, though Sima grew up in Chicago, helping at her family’s Indian restaurant and Dunkin’ Donuts franchises there. She later worked in the medical field and was looking to return to something more social than the health care billing she’d most recently been doing from home.
Ravi, an IT professional (and a former Krispy Kreme donut baker), calls their idea to launch Michigan’s only franchise of California-based Hummus Republic “small and scalable.” The core offering is a Chipotle-style customizable choice of wraps, pitas, or bowls filled with a base, plus hummus, proteins, vegetables, and dressings.
Even with seating for thirty-six, the former Makeshift Gallery space was larger than they needed. “When I was looking outside, every single student and the teenagers, they always have some cups in their hand, either coffee, a shake, ice cream, smoothie, something,” Ravi says, so they’re adding an independent frozen treats counter as well.
Dip (pronounced “deep”) Scoop refers to the nickname of Sima’s recently deceased father, who she says was “a sweets fanatic.” It will have twelve varieties of Hershey’s Ice Cream with toppings, milkshakes, smoothies, and slushies.
Hummus Republic and Dip Scoop, 407 E. Liberty. (734) 492–3383. Daily 10 a.m.–9 p.m. thehummusrepublic.com
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