His palms weren’t sweaty, knees weak, arms weren’t heavy. There’s no vomit on his sweater already, but there was Mom’s Spaghetti.
Eminem delighted fans after pulling a surprise shift at his Detroit restaurant, “Mom’s Spaghetti.” The eatery, named after an iconic, barf-related line from his hit track “Lose Yourself,” celebrated its grand opening Wednesday, Sept. 29.
The “Without Me” rapper — whose real name is Marshall Mathers — spent several minutes working the walk-up window at the pasta shop.
During the course of his brief culinary cameo, the 48-year-old Motor City native treated the first 10 customers in a seemingly never-ending line to takeout cartons of spaghetti and even some selfie snaps, according to the Detroit Free Press, which depict the hoodie-sporting “Stan” singer looking somewhat unenthused. Some Slim Shady supporters had camped out since morning in anticipation of Mom’s Spaghetti’s official 5 pm opening.
Em’s spaghetti-serving stint ended with the “8 Mile” star and his entourage speeding away in a pair of SUVs, as hordes of fans chased them “Beatlemania-style” down the street, per the Detroit Free Press.
Located at 2131 Woodward Ave., the “limited-seating” eatery serves a Spartan array of fare: Mom’s Spaghetti for $9, Mom’s Spaghetti with Meatballs for $12 and a ‘Sghetti Sandwich — pasta bookended by two slices of bread — for $11, per the noodle vendor’s website. Meanwhile, vegans can get the spaghetti with “Rabbit Balls,” orbs of black beans, quinoa and sweet peppers for $14.
Mom’s Spaghetti began as a pop-up shop at Detroit music venue the Shelter in 2017, and has since made intermittent appearances at concerts put on by Eminem. During the coronavirus pandemic, Mathers famously gifted Detroit health-care workers containers of his famous pasta.
“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,” said Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg in a statement ahead of the opening.
After chowing down at Mom’s Spaghetti, fans can pop upstairs to “the Trailer.” Billed as “a store for Stans,” another slang term based on the enthusiastic fans spawned from the Slim Shady hit “Stan,” the adjoining shop features merchandise and memorabilia inspired by the rapper’s “8 Mile” character, B-Rabbit.
