A major Michigan brewer is on tap to open a brick-and-mortar presence on Lansing's Eastside after reaching a licensing agreement with a local restaurant and catering company.
As early as August, Battle Creek's
Arcadia Brewing Company will open a Mid-Michigan branch in a renovated and expanded facility once home to PNC Bank at 2101 E. Michigan Ave. The brewpub restaurant was announced in November, and represents an affiliation with
Urban Feast—the umbrella group for five other restaurant concepts in Greater Lansing and Grand Rapids, including Troppo, Tavern & Tap, Fieldhouse, Leo's Spirits and Grub, and Grand Woods Lounge.
"We have been a customer and fan of Arcadia owner Tim Surprise for quite a while and have been working on the idea of licensing Arcadia for use as a brewpub restaurant for almost as long," says Urban Feast Founder and President Kris Elliott. "Lansing is our home base and in dire need of a brewpub restaurant."
Urban Feast is the exclusive licensee of Arcadia Ales in Michigan and the Midwest. Elliott says Arcadia Ales have been served through his restaurants for about 15 years. Arcadia was founded in Battle Creek in 1996, distributes to 10 states, and opened a Kalamazoo location in 2014.
When open, the Lansing's Arcadia Ales and Smokehouse will be double the size of the repurposed PNC bank with an approximate footprint of 6,000-square feet. The property will include an outdoor covered patio with a fireplace as well as a four-seasons outdoor bar. The entire indoor-outdoor brewpub restaurant will seat about 250 people, and create a minimum of 70 jobs.
Lansing's Arcadia Ales and Smokehouse will brew and serve up to six Lansing-only beers and will serve only Arcadia beers. The restaurant will also feature mostly Michigan-made liquors and wines. Hungry patrons can feast on smoked meats, southern sides and stone fired pizza—with all menu selections available for carryout.
Elliott says Urban Feast is proud to be at the forefront of a national trend in which regional craft brewers like Arcadia leverage restaurant and food service to further their brand and culture.
"We’re also in an awesome neighborhood that has a long legacy of small service-based businesses such as ours," he says. "It's a perfect fit and we can't wait to open."
Source: Kris Elliott, Founder and President, Urban Feast
Writer: Ann Kammerer, News Editor
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