Alexander Alusheff

Lansing State Journal

LANSING – The Beer Grotto has closed its doors.

The restaurant, one of the first in Lansing to focus on craft beer, made the announcement Monday afternoon on its Facebook page.

“With deep sadness, we regret to inform you all that The Beer Grotto - Lansing will be permanently closed for business effective today,” the post reads.

The restaurant's owners could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday afternoon.

The Beer Grotto, located at 500 E. Michigan Ave. inside the Stadium District, had 48 craft beers on tap, mostly from Michigan breweries, and a selection of 24 wines. It was intended to be a place for people to try craft beer in an area that didn’t have many options at the time it opened in April 2015.

Since then, five breweries have opened in the region, including the Lansing Brewing Co., which is located a block away from The Beer Grotto.

"We are bummed they are closing," said Pat Gillespie, president of Gillespie Group, which owns the building where The Beer Grotto operated. "We thought it was a nice addition to the avenue. The area has gotten a lot more energetic since they opened."

Gillespie Group opened Lansing Brewing Co. six months after The Beer Grotto opened.

"It probably didn't help them, but I hoped they would complement one another," Gillespie said. "Anytime something leaves, it's not positive."

Gillespie said his company will work to find another business to open in that location, one that brings something not yet offered in the area.

"I'm sad to hear that it's closing," said Sam Short, a former partner in the business. "It's too bad because there were fun times had there."

Short said he left the business a year ago to focus on his other venture, the Potent Potables Project, which owns the Cosmos, Zoobie's and The Creole. It also plans to open Punk Taco sometime next year.

The Beer Grotto still operates two other locations, one in Dexter and the other in Ann Arbor.

The Dexter location is listed for sale by Swisher Commercial for $350,000. Before the Lansing location closed, it was listed for sale by the same company for $200,000.

The Lansing location was the largest of the three.

Alexander Alusheff is a reporter at the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.