Espresso Royale Caffe is heading west.

Because Marcus Goller, president of Espresso Caffe Corp., wants a piece of what was Bagel-Fragel Deli’s pie.

Espresso Royale Caffe, 547 E. Grand River Ave., is moving west a few storefronts down to the vacant spot previously held by the Bagel-Fragel Deli, 527 E. Grand River Ave.

Goller said he has had his eye on the location for some time. The patio and crosswalk from campus were major selling points, he said.

“Our lease was up and we took this opportunity to move to a space where we had always wanted to be,” he said.

Goller said he hopes the move will mean more people will stop in for a cup of coffee, to read or get a bite of something to eat with friends.

“I think it will double (our business), the other space wasn’t quite right because of the structure of the building,” he said.

The store has been in East Lansing since 1987 and was first located on Abbott Road. The move to the Grand River Avenue location came in 1991.

Goller said the cafe has a large following of different people.

“It is an amazing cross-section, a great place to meet people,” he said. “Anybody and everybody comes here, they just seem to kind of mix.”

But old customers may be surprised by the move. Goller said there will be some changes, including a fireplace and audio-visual effects.

“It will be a very different store,” he said. “It will have the regular line-up of beverages, plus it will have a light lunch,” he said.

The cafe will open in the new location in February, but until the move is complete, Goller said he hopes to keep his lease month-to-month.

Some customers of the cafe like the idea of one small business taking another small business’s storefront.

International studies senior Danielle Massey said she had been going to the cafe since she was a freshman.

She said the store is a great place to sit between classes and study.

“I am glad it is not closing and turning into a Starbucks (Coffee),” Massey said.

Ryan Wood said he misses the Bagel-Fragel Deli but is happy about the move. He just hopes the quiet atmosphere doesn’t change.

“It’s calm here, and I have had friends that play music here,” he said. “You can get just about everything here.”

Wood said he had been coming to the cafe for the past three years and sitting on the patio in the summer will be nice.

Jim van Ravensway, director of planning and community development, said the move couldn’t have been better for the cafe.

He said the current location is kind of an odd area for the store.

“This will give them a chance to have a good sitting area,” he said. “People in this town love outdoor coffee.”