A new Indian-fusion fast-casual chain, Pizzawala’s, will open a new location at 523 E. Grand River Ave. Okemos-based franchisee Sougata Roy is spearheading the new location that’s taking over the former MSU Federal Credit Union building. The new restaurant is anticipated to open next spring, ideally by May 2025. This news was first seen in the Lansing State Journal.
Different from the grab-and-go structure used by the chain’s other locations, the new East Lansing Pizzawala’s will focus on a dine-in model with a bar serving beer and wine. According to the LSJ, the restaurant’s dining room will hold up to 140 people with additional bar seating and potentially an outdoor patio in front of the building that can hold approximately 30 people.
“This one is going to be a pizza and bar concept,” Roy told the LSJ. “Menu items will be slightly expanded beyond the normal Pizzawala’s locations, and so we’ll have pizza, wings, then pasta, salad, and some dessert.”
Roy and his wife discovered the Pizzawala’s on a trip to the Ikea near the chain’s Canton restaurant. The restaurant’s menu offered pizzas with Indian flavors as well as regular toppings. Roy old the LSJ that Pizzawala’s offerings have the menu closest to what many pizza restaurants in India serve, and he wanted to bring that experience to Lansing.
