MERIDIAN TWP. – Stacey Wesolek has worked in restaurants for more than two decades but it was her best friend, Felipe Pesina, who inspired the restaurant and bar she’ll open in the Hannah Plaza later this year.
The pair used to daydream about opening their own eatery. Both had first-hand knowledge of the industry – Wesolek in leadership roles at local restaurants including the Tin Can Bar, and Pesina at his family’s business, Handy’s Mexican Market & Deli, located off West Willow Street in Lansing.
“We always joked that we were going to open a store on the east side and partner with that,” Wesolek said.
Then Pesina, 39, died unexpectedly in 2022. And Wesolek decided it was time to open their restaurant. “It was time to make something happen,” she said.
El Camino Garage Bar will occupy a storefront in the Hannah Plaza off South Hagadorn Road. The goal is to offer a fast-casual Mexican menu and a full-service bar in a laid-back atmosphere, Wesolek said.
The restaurant’s name honors Pesina, a nod to his neon green 1984 El Camino, and there will be reminders of him inside, she said.
“We want to make sure that we do everything well,” Wesolek said.
Tacos, nachos and margaritas
The nearly 4,000-square foot storefront El Camino Garage Bar will utilize was last home to Gourmet Village Chinese, but the space has been vacant for several years.
“With it being vacant, there was a lot of repairs that we needed to get done and a lot of things that we needed to get up to code,” Wesolek said.
She hopes to open the restaurant sometime this summer. It will offer a Mexican menu that includes chips and salsa from Handy’s Mexican Market & Deli, tacos made with ground beef, shredded beef and chicken, nachos, margaritas and “throwback” beers including Miller High Life in the bottle and Detroit-based Stroh’s.
“It’s going to be really moderately sized to start,” Wesolek said. “We’ll have something for everybody.”
The dining room will offer seating for over 100 people and future plans include possibly adding outdoor patio seating, she said.
The restaurant, which has already secured a liquor license, will likely employ 10 to 15 people.
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When it opens El Camino Garage Bar’s interior will feature a mural of Pesina and his El Camino created by artist Ben Corr.
The restaurant’s logo and signage are neon green and black, another nod to Wesolek’s best friend. She said Pesina’s family at Handy’s Mexican Market & Deli are consulting on the menu.
The bar will offer a pool table, jukebox and games, as well.
Choosing Hannah Plaza for the business was intentional, Wesolek said.
“We picked the Hannah Plaza just because there is the opportunity for an older crowd to come by because there is free parking,” she said. “We’re kind of hoping to draw maybe a little bit of an older clientele. College kids, of course, are welcome. There’s something for everybody in that plaza, which is really awesome.”
Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Mexican-themed ‘garage bar’ planned near MSU. When it could open
Reporting by Rachel Greco, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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