After 11-year hiatus, Lansing’s Irish Pub returns under new ownership

From the early 1970s to 2013, the old Irish Pub on Saginaw Street was a fixture of camaraderie in Lansing’s westside neighborhood.

However,  the business went into foreclosure following the death of one of its owners, which led to a 2013 auction that caught the attention of lifelong friends and Grand Ledge natives Dave Meredith and Jeremy Werner.

“We always had a dream of owning a bar,” Werner said. “One day, I happened to see an article that said this place was up for auction. We decided to bid on it.”

The pair enlisted a third co-owner, Holt native Brian Leyrer, and went on to win their bid.

“For quite a while, we thought that was the worst decision we ever made because it was in really bad shape,” Werner said. “We put it on hold for quite a long time because, financially, it was just more than what we were willing and able to do at the time.”

After securing a loan and making significant renovations to the space, Leyrer, Meredith and Werner held a grand opening for the ‘new’ 6,700-square-foot Irish Pub on Tuesday (July 16). The pub has 68 employees, including general manager Stephanie Robinson, assistant manager Sarah Howery, kitchen manager Mario Hall and bar manager Sarah Carter.

Robinson, a Colorado native with more than two decades of experience in the restaurant industry, has spent the last nine months crafting a vision for what the new and improved Irish Pub would be.

She asked EJ Martin, a corporate executive chef at Grand Rapids-based food distributor Van Eerden Foodservice, to help her redesign the food menu from the ground up, revitalizing old favorites and adding new offerings. 

Robinson also took the time to familiarize herself with Michigan’s beer culture.

“Not being from the Michigan area, I called the vendors one by one and said, ‘Bring me what’s popular here,’ and they did. I probably sampled more than five dozen different beers over the last few months,” she said.

The pub offers two dozen beers, including options from local breweries like Bell’s and Irish imports like Guinness, as well as 10 Irish whiskeys and a variety of other liquors that can be made into Irish cocktails. Robinson said her team is already planning seasonal beverages as well.

In the meantime, the staff is enjoying the moment in a space that has been almost completely reworked and modernized since it served its last beer more than 10 years ago. Including a 50-seat patio, it can hold more than 270 people.

“Every day, someone stops in here and asks if we’re open yet. This has been going on for years,” Werner said, adding that westside residents have been particularly supportive thus far.

“They’re going to be the heartbeat of this place, I’m sure. They’re diehards, and I hope we met and exceeded all their expectations,” he said.