DEARBORN — When Ahmad Hamdan opened up the Hot Spot Café on Michigan Avenue in West Dearborn in February, he brought with him a tremendous understanding of the sandwich business.

Hamdan had owned a Subway franchise in Inkster and worked at a Tubby’s, and he knew what his customers liked.

But what he didn’t know was how to cook — until he gave it a try, that is, whipping up items that were basically his personal favorites from several different restaurants.

“Everything on the menu is made from scratch,” said Hamdan. “I just made it. I didn’t use any recipes or anything.”

Now, people of all different backgrounds from businessmen to college students enjoy his creations and the relaxed, casual atmosphere at his popular restaurant.

The menu combines “the freshness of a Subway with the grilling of a Tubby’s,” said Hamdan, and includes a mixture of both American items like the chicken bacon ranch sub and the Mackster (a Big Mac-style burger) as well as Arab favorites like hummus and fattoush salads.

All of the meat is halal, giving some customers a chance to eat foods they can’t normally have at other places.

“Everything people can’t normally eat, they can find here. We call it an Americanized halal menu,” said Hamdan.

Hamdan said he can usually tell what a customer is going to order as soon as they walk in. Ironically, it’s usually an American food item for an Arab person and an Arab food item for someone of a different background.

Most customers come in late, especially on weekends when Hot Spot Café is open until 2 a.m. (Fridays and Saturdays). Other weeknights the restaurant stays open until 11 p.m. but sometimes customers end up staying until midnight.

The late-night college student demographic is one big reason Hamdan’s café has been so successful. Another reason is the free wireless access from the city of Dearborn that allows customers to check their e-mail, work, or study while grabbing a bite to eat.

Both the late night eats and the wireless access are two things other college towns have in abundance, but Hot Spot Café is one of the few places in Dearborn that offers them for Michigan-Dearborn and Henry Ford Community College students.

Two years ago, when Hamdan was 23 and admittedly a bit worried about his future and the struggling Michigan economy, he knew it would be a risk opening up his own business, but once he got the guts to pull the trigger, things began to take a turn for the better.

“Everything seemed to just fall into place,” he said. “It was like God opened up a path for me and said ‘Here you go.'”

Now, it is apparent that the Hot Spot Café isn’t going anywhere. The customer base is large and many of them know Hamdan by name.

Despite paying what he said is a large monthly sum for the building lease in a prime spot in Dearborn, Hamdan keeps the prices low so both college students and nearby business professionals alike can afford the food.

“I think people around here appreciate that we’re not just in it for profit,” said Hamdan, who took ice cream and coffee off of his menu to be a “good neighbor” to nearby Coldstone Creamery and Caribou Coffee franchises (coffee and expresso will be back now that Caribou Coffee has closed).

“We still live in America and we’re living the American dream even though the economy’s not so good,” said Hamdan. “If you deliver a good product at a reasonable price, the customers will come.”