“It was a no-brainer,” Platman said of the decision to expand her macaroni and cheese restaurants to East Lansing. “We definitely knew that the best buyers of mac and cheese were going to be students.”

Platman and her husband, Gary Sussman, co-own the store and are MSU alumni.

They own two other macaroni and cheese shops after originally getting into the restaurant business with a line of bar cafes, most of which are located in the Metro Detroit area. This made the move westward a big step for the couple.

“Today is the start of the rest of our life,” Platman said.

The restaurant opened a few minutes after 11 a.m. Monday morning, and students began trickling in shortly after.

Food science sophomore Bailey Weessies was one of the first in line and quickly admitted that he had been counting down to the restaurant’s grand opening.

“I am a big mac and cheese guy,” he said. “I’ve been awaiting this for a while.”

He was joined by his friend, preveterinary sophomore Cassidy Schultz, who was laughing at his excitement.

“He basically ran here,” she said.

Sussman said the store had a “quiet opening.”

The restaurant is finally open to customers after it was announced more than a year ago to take the place of the closed Wanderer’s Teahouse. Though several different opening dates were announced throughout the past year, design and engineering issues delayed the opening.

Sussman said he is confident that the store’s location in a high-traffic area of Grand River Avenue will attract students.

“This is fabulous,” he said. “We couldn’t ask for a better location. We know the town, and we thought that this would be a great place for it.”

The store’s menu consists of salads, wraps, soups, deserts and 14 macaroni and cheese dishes, such as Extreme Veggie, Cajun Shrimp and Philly Cheesesteak.

“Big menu, and it all looks pretty delicious to me,” Weessies said. “But I’m not sure what I’ll get.”