“I tip my hat to small businesses and urge people to support them in order to keep them here,” Elbast said.

Elbast said the affordability of the grill’s value menu and lack of delivery service probably slowed business sales.

“We had a dollar menu, but that’s what hurt us,” Elbast said. “We didn’t have much of a profit.”

E.L. Moe’s Firehouse Grill opened in July and experienced slow sales during the summer, but — like many local businesses — received a boost at the start of the school year.

The grill was located in the building that once housed Taco Bell and then Spartan Gyros, which closed in March.

“There was tremendous support and love from students and residents, and I don’t know how to thank them,” Elbast said. “We had good support, but not enough to keep us going. I worked long hours and the economy hits everyone hard.”

Elbast, who also is the owner of Sahara’s Restaurant, 3536 Meridian Crossings in Okemos, said he’d enjoy opening another business in the area if the economy improves.

East Lansing resident Dan Hughes, who graduated from MSU in May, said he was disappointed to see the grill close.

“I think it was good food, and it’s too bad to see it go,” Hughes said. “It’s nice that it was a little independent place.”

Eric Skusa, general manager at The Peanut Barrel Restaurant, 521 E. Grand River Ave., said small business owners sometimes underestimate the level of competition they’ll face when opening near MSU.

“The competition is incredible, the rent is fairly high and a lot of places come from out-of-town and think it’s a gold mine with the university next door, but it’s tough,” Skusa said.

“If you’ve been here a long time, you’ve had a reputation built up, but when you’re new, you don’t have that.”