Students and residents who are fans of Mexican fast food might have to look elsewhere in East Lansing because of the recent closure of Señor Georgio’s.
Vackis Nicolau, co-owner of Señor Georgio’s, confirmed the store’s closure and said the location was in the process of being sold to another company, but declined further comment.
The family-owned restaurant, formerly located at 403 E. Grand River Ave., offered a variety of Mexican food, including quesadillas, burritos and tacos.
Señor Georgio’s, which opened in last summer, was owned by the same family as Georgio’s Gourmet Pizzeria, a franchise with two pizza restaurants in East Lansing.
The two Georgio’s locations in East Lansing, 120 Charles St. and 1010 East Grand River Ave., still are open.
East Lansing officials have been informed of the closure, but have not been contacted by the business directly, East Lansing’s Community Development Specialist Heather Pope said in an email.
Pope said the loss of the restaurant would be a sad one for the community.
“Señor Georgio’s is a great business to have in our downtown,” Pope said. “We are always disappointed when we hear of a business closing in the downtown, or anywhere in the East Lansing community.”
Trina Hosta, a no-preference freshman, said she had been to the restaurant once and enjoyed the food and friendly service it provided.
She said she was surprised when she heard it was closed and said although there were other restaurants selling Mexican food locally, Señor Georgio’s offered some of the best food.
“I feel like it’s one of the only Mexican restaurants in the area — actually no, it’s not, but it’s one of the best ones that I’ve tried,” Hosta said.
Losing a piece of a family-owned business in the area could be detrimental to the downtown area, said Emily Moore, a Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and Spanish freshman.
“It’s always a loss when a small business fails,” Moore said.
Moore said she had been to a few other businesses selling Mexican food in the area, such as Chipotle, 539 E. Grand River Ave. She said though she never had been to Señor Georgio’s, the fact that it was family-owned made it a unique addition to the college community of East Lansing.
“I think small businesses add a lot to the atmosphere of college towns — one reason college towns are so nice is because everything’s not so corporate,” she said.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
