Restaurant Mediteran to close in March

For a decade, Restaurant Mediteran has served some of the best spinach pie, schnitzel, and homemade German noodles in the city.

But, in March, its founders are retiring and the downtown Lansing eatery will close its doors.

Owner Igor Jurkovic says his parents, Mirko and Ljubica Jurkovic, are retiring and that he is going to focus on other business ventures.

"With my parents retiring, and my other businesses, it would be very hard for me to run Restaurant Mediteran and Mediteran Deli without them," said Jurkovic. "It would just be different."

Mirko and Ljubica Jurkovic have been in the restaurant business for most of their lives. The family left the city of Brcko, once part of Yugoslavia, when war broke out there in 1992. They lived in Hungary, Croatia and Germany, before arriving in Lansing in November of 1998.

Their sons, Igor and Sinisa, had been living in Croatia. When the boys had the opportunity to come to Lansing to attend college, they decided to come also so the family would be together again.

"My brother, Sinisa, moved about seven years ago to the Detroit area and now my parents have two grandchildren, ages 4 and 21/ 2 , and they want to spend a little more time with them," said Igor Jurkovic. "Obviously, running a restaurant does not allow them to do that, so that was kind of the push that made them decide to retire."

The good news is that Jurkovic is planning to open a smaller version of Mediteran, down the street in the Capitol National Bank building at 200 N. Washington Square.

Jurkovic says the bank already has a little café downstairs, and he's been supplying them with soups and other products over the last seven years or so.

He's hoping to call it Mediteran Café, keeping the Mediteran name, and to offer some of the signature dishes and authentic coffees.

There is renovation to be done and equipment to be added, but he would like to be open to the public in the Capitol National Bank building by the time Restaurant Mediteran closes.

Bishop David Maxwell, director of the city's Office of Community and Faith-Based Initiatives, has been eating at Mediteran for about nine years.

He says he was skeptical at first. It wasn't his normal cuisine. He went at the behest of Mayor Virg Bernero, who was holding a meeting at the restaurant.

"It was extremely delectable, especially the desserts, and before I knew it, I started going on my own and eventually holding my own meetings there," said Maxwell. "Now I eat there at least once a month."

He says he'll miss Mirko's cooking but is willing to try the new cafe. "I will give the new cafe a shot because the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," said Maxwell.

Jurkovic says customers have expressed sadness about the restaurant closing, Bernero among them.

"The mayor had a meeting here last week and he was bummed when he found out," said Jurkovic. "I told him that I would probably keep some of the same dishes at the cafe. The mayor does meetings here and is probably here at least two to three times a week."

They family hasn't decided if there will be any type of celebration or open house yet. It's still up in the air.

Jurkovic is sad about closing, but finds comfort in the fact that the restaurant is not closing due to financial reasons.

"But I can't replace mom and dad, so it's time to give it up and let them enjoy the rest of their lives," said Jurkovic. "Their plan is pretty much to go back to Croatia for part of the year and then probably spend part of the year in the Detroit area."

Jurkovic, 33, will be busy with his own business ventures. A few years ago, he started a partnership with the Exchange and runs that kitchen. He owns two Leaf Salad Bars with business partner Mark Sprinkle, one in East Lansing and one in Okemos.

"I am very busy, but a good busy," said Jurkovic. "The restaurant business is challenging but it's something that I've done for most of my life. My first job was in a restaurant so it's something that I know how to do. "