The Palace of Auburn Hills has undergone a $3M renovation and expansion of the arena's east side to include the new East Terrace, a 1,000-square-foot concessions space opening for the '15-16 NBA season. It is the first time since the Palace opened in '88 that the east side has been upgraded. As part of the East Terrace, Levy Restaurants, the Pistons' food provider, will introduce three new dining concepts anchored by Maplewood Barbecue. Maplewood's menu features prime rib, pork belly and chicken sliders prepared by local vendor Street Eats, and a 30-foot-long bar showcases a selection of 16 bourbons and whiskeys. Eastside Tacos and The Linkery, a sausage and beer stand, are the other new food themes. DAIQ Architects of Boston designed the new terrace space. Separately, the Palace is in the midst of a three-year, $6M project to install 20,000-plus seats in the bowl with new black leather chairs supplied by Irwin Seating Co. The first phase, completed for this season, covers about 6,000 seats. The remaining seats will be replaced over the next two summers. Pistons Owner Tom Gores is privately funding the improvements, totaling $40M over the past four years.
