New food hall in Lansing opens this week, shuffleboard coming in spring

A new food hall and social club opens this week in Lansing at the old City Market.

Lansing Shuffle is located downtown behind the city convention center and on the river walk. It will launch with five unique restaurants and a bar. Two vendor booths have yet to be filled, and five shuffleboard courts are coming to the site in the spring.

Jonathan Hartzell is a developer and director of acquisitions and programming at Detroit Rising, the real estate and construction company working with the city on renovations. He said they want the place to be accessible to all ages, including office workers in the city.

“We wanted something that’s accessible, simple, and easy to pick up and do,” Hartzell said. “If you’ve got an hour or so to kill, you can grab a drink or grab some food and just shove a puck or two.”

Current food vendors include Himalayan restaurant Yeti Kitchen; vegan Italian restaurant Osteria Vegana; Browndog At The Shuffle burger and shake place; BBQ Joint Irie Smoke Shack; and Southeast Asian restaurant Kin Thai.

Hartzell noted that the restaurants come from across the state. The group plans to fill the two remaining booths with partners from either Lansing or the Mid-Michigan area. He said the variety of dining options makes it an inviting destination.

“You can come with a group of people and you don’t have to agree on what you’re eating because you can get everything here,” Hartzell said.

Plans to redevelop the market space began in 2020. Hartzell said construction has been difficult due to volatile material costs during the pandemic.

He added that many state employees and other office workers continue to work remotely, a potential risk for a project aimed at attracting visitors for a meal or happy hour. But he said he was reassured by the city’s investment in parks and areas near the food hall.

Lansing Shuffle is located in the city’s social al fresco drinking district and is within walking distance to bars and other attractions. Hartzell said the proximity is exciting for people who want to park in one place and visit multiple locations on foot.

“We don’t want to sit down to eat for an hour and a half,” Hartzell said. “We want to grab a little bite, have a drink, explore a few places, walk and walk in one night … and have a few cocktails, (and) find and discover things.”

The grand opening for Lansing Shuffle is Thursday. Visitors can validate their parking space at the convention center.