Sobelman's Pub and Grill, a prominent restaurant franchise based out of Milwaukee, Wis., is looking to expand to college towns in Michigan and has listed East Lansing as a potential destination.
Dave Sobelman, the owner, currently has three locations in Wisconsin — one in Mequon, the main location on St. Paul Street in Milwaukee and one on the campus of Marquette University.
Sobelman’s signatures include its burgers and bloody marys. Last December, USA Today ranked Sobelman’s signature bloody mary as the second-best bloody mary in the nation.
The restaurant originated in Milwaukee in one of the old Schlitz tavern buildings on St. Paul Street, and through the years has quickly garnered fame and local recognition, making it a popular spot in the Milwaukee area.
One of the key features to the Sobelman’s experiences outside of the “Midwestern palate of cheeseburgers, cheese balls and bloody marys” is that two of the restaurants are built within old historic buildings in the area.
“It’s apparently something no one else in the country has ever tried,” Sobelman said of the historic building touch to the restaurant experience. “Franchising and only opening up in old historic buildings.”
After all the growth of the business, Sobelman said he is looking to branch out. The popularity of his Milwaukee establishments have even led him to begin selling his burgers and bloody marys with the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA at Bucks’ home games.
“I just want to grow the business, grow the brand,” Sobelman said. “I’ve had people from Michigan contact me through the website.”
East Lansing already has an established and unique bar and restaurants scene, flanked by the likes of Rick’s American Cafe, Crunchy’s and Harper’s to name a few, which raises questions about what a new business would need to do to compete with the already established entities.
“What I do — I think the Michigan kids are going to love just as much,” Sobelman said. “I’ve got the best burgers, the best bloody marys, the best cheese balls and we just do something that’s fun and unusual. Chances are when I get to town, I’ll be doing things people might have seen someplace else, but it’s not anything the locals are doing. I can’t but think that’ll make it wherever I go honestly.”
His plan to compete also includes a local flavor.
“The majority of the beers that I might have on tap will be from local microbreweries throughout the state of Michigan,” Sobelman said, something he already does in Wisconsin.
But with the mix of bars in East Lansing, and the crowded downtown area, one issue Sobelman's would face is the feasibility of wanting to open up in historic buildings.
“If they were going to move into a space that had previously been a restaurant, with the same amount seating and what not, then it would be pretty simple,” Lori Mullins, East Lansing community and economic development administrator, said.
Many of East Lansing’s bars and restaurants have taken root in the downtown area, making it a crowded business district. Restaurants, however, are not restricted to the downtown area, Mullins said.
“If they were to convert a building that had been residential, for instance, like an older house on Albert Avenue or something, and convert that into a restaurant, that would be a change of use and we’d have to confirm that the zoning allows that,” Mullins said.
For Sobelman’s to continue opening up in historic buildings, it would be subject to zoning laws. Zoning laws restrict or allow what areas of land can be used for what. East Lansing, for example, would have residential zones specifically for houses or a commercial district designed for businesses.
“If the zoning doesn’t allow for commercial use, then it would need to go through a rezoning process,” Mullins said.
If Sobelman’s will be able to find a location but the zone restricts the land’s purpose to non-businesses, then that area would need to be rezoned to include commercial use. This, however, would invoke a public hearing, where residents and people of East Lansing would be able to convey their feelings on the possible rezoning.
Sobelman said he currently has no timetable to when he might franchise into Michigan, but wants to get started right away — once he finishes up opening two new franchises in Wisconsin.
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“I want to do everything as soon as possible,” Sobelman said. “Right now I’m focused on two guys locallym and I’d like to knock these out in the next six months or so.”
