University Weiner owner Ben Pikus said he saw a “need” for a business like his own in the MSU community in 2023. 

“... We saw a need for a place in the community where students could have a place to, one, end the night, and two, have a quick bite to eat with quality food and great customer service on game days,” Pikus said. “That was kind of the need we saw — that need to be filled — like great pricing, quick [wait] times, so that you wouldn't have to wait and be there for, like, 15 minutes waiting for your hot dog. And then we just wanted to have something that was similar to like, a Cottage Inn, something special to the community as a local staple.”

Team member at University Weiner and special education and general education junior Sophie Crane said she “loves” that the business is an iconic staple in downtown East Lansing.

“When people always find out that I work there, they always have oohs and ahhs about it. They're just like, ‘Oh my gosh. I didn't even realize I could work there,’ because everyone views it as so small. But everyone also knows about it, so it's just so interesting, because I just get such big reactions whenever people hear that I work there,” Crane said. “... It is a really cool place to work. It's actually my favorite place I've ever worked, just because it's very laid-back. But also, like getting to know people, and just the overall vibe of it being a hole in the wall just makes it super unique.”

Now, expanding to the Lansing community, Pikus said, is something that he is looking forward to.

Similarly, general manager of University Weiner and partner of the Lansing Shuffle, Corbin Swint, said he is also eager for opening day on May 15.

“Honestly, it's really exciting. I know, especially for me, I personally am enjoying the new opportunities,” Swint said. “... It's cool to me. In our current location, we are literally a hole in the wall, and now we're moving on to bigger and better things and growing and expanding.”

Crane said the growth of the business is what she is looking forward to the most.

“I love it. I mean, obviously, I want what's best for University Weiner. I want us to keep growing,” Crane said. “I really hope that it works out and that we can still reach other crowds, just because we've been successful reaching MSU students. But I really hope it works out with different age groups and whatnot. So I'm really excited for it.”

Swint said they chose the Lansing Shuffle as their second location for a specific reason.

“We saw a lot of development going on in the Stadium District, especially with the Lansing Shuffle,” Swint said. “They are a newer business, started by some guys out from Detroit, and pretty much, we just saw a niche to where our brand is pretty useful. And we found a fit right there to meet a new demographic.”

However, Swint said this expansion wasn’t something he was expecting.

“Every day is a new opportunity, and that's the one thing that University Weiner has definitely proven out [to be],” Swint said.

With Lansing being a different area from East Lansing, Swint said they have different strategies to engage the community, such as collaborating with other businesses in the area.

“We plan on doing, like, little giveaways and a lot of fun stuff, collaborating with the Lansing Lugnuts, which is actually right across the street,” Swint said. “I know we're looking at, you know, giving away tickets and really just finding a way to engage the community through the Stadium District.”

Crane said reaching a new community will contribute to the overall expansion of the business.

“I think opening in the Lansing Shuffle will allow the community to actually get to experience it (University Weiner) more. I can understand why it's kind of difficult to get to our location now, unless you are walking to and from your apartment or dorm, whatever,” Crane said. “So I think this honestly just gives way more access to the community as a whole, and allows them to experience what MSU students have been experiencing for two years now.”

In the future, Swint said he hopes University Weiner will engage the Lansing community through different collaborations.

“We would like to work with organizations in Lansing, pretty much supporting similar to how we support our community out here, with different nonprofits,” Swint said. “We want to continue doing that with the Lansing community.”

For Crane, she hopes the business will continue to be a “staple”.

“Honestly, I just, like, loved my experience there. I hope that we continue growing and can keep giving people the experience that we have been so far,” Crane said. “I hope that everyone stays loving University Weiner, and it stays the staple that it is now, and that it just keeps getting passed down — that the people that graduate don't just like forget about it, but that even the new incoming freshmen get to experience it as it's been right now.”