Sneak peek: New restaurant to open in historic former Clara's location in Lansing

LANSING — Matt Buskard toured several properties in and around Lansing looking for the right spot for another Bobcat Bonnie's before he got his first look at the historic former Clara's Lansing Station — and that's where his search came to an end.

Buskard nearly opened what will be the Michigan-based restaurant chain's eighth location at Eastwood Towne Center, in the building where Max & Erma's operated before it closed in 2016. Then Buskard seriously considered the space within the same shopping center previously home to Claddagh Irish Pub, which shuttered in 2020.

But Buskard didn't stop his hunt for the right property until he visited the 120-year-old train station-turned-restaurant at 637 E Michigan Ave., complete with a 1,000-square-foot train Pullman car next door.

"Immediately, just walking up to it, we were like, 'This is a yes. You don't need to show us anything else," Buskard said.

More than a year and a half later, Bobcat Bonnie's is just weeks away from opening. The approximately 5,000-square-foot restaurant — known for its creative take on American dishes and weekend brunch menu — is expected to open by the end of January. The one-time Michigan Central and Pere Marquette railroad station sports a bright new look, but has retained much of the character Lansing-area residents remember from its days as Clara's.

A balancing act between new and historic

Building out Lansing's Bobcat Bonnie's was a balancing act between creating something new while honoring a space with more than 100 years of history, Buskard said.

The former Michigan Central railroad station was built in 1903. Later called Union Station, it served passenger train traffic until 1972 when service through Lansing was discontinued. The East Michigan Avenue property later was home to Clara's for more than three decades until it closed in 2016.

The Gillespie Group bought the property and invested $3.6 million in its redevelopment. Starbucks opened in its western half in 2022; Bobcat Bonnie's will occupy the rest of the building.

Inside, the soon-to-open restaurant's dining room walls have been painted mauve. Bright lights will illuminate the subtle shade in the evening, casting a pink hue on diners and staff, interior designer Sarah Schaefer said.

"I chose it mostly because the wood tones in here are just so beautiful," she said.

On Tuesday, a long booth seat in Spartan green lined one wall awaiting tables and additional chairs. The bar is the same color. The color scheme is, in part, a nod to Michigan State University's campus just a mile away, Schaefer said.

So, too, was the decision to reupholster and keep the half-circle-shaped booth seat where Lansing native Magic Johnson signed a 25-year, $25 million NBA contract with the Los Angeles Lakers more than 40 years ago when the building was home to Clara's.

The space's new design elements don't overshadow the history Buskard and his staff were careful not to touch, including the building's high, arching, wood ceiling, its brick-walled entryway and the vintage 1910 train car, which has been at the property since 1994. The interior walls are still wood-paneled, and the ornate lights on the walls have been preserved, along with the decorative stained glass.

"We didn't want to change too much," Buskard said Tuesday from a table inside the train car. "A lot of people have warm fuzzies about this place. They had their graduation party or their rehearsal dinner here. It has a very special place in their heart. We didn't need to come in and redo and gut everything. We want people to come in and still feel like, 'Oh, this is our special place.'"

A seasonal menu, and weekend brunch

The restaurant has hired about 50 employees, a mix of both full- and part-time positions, Buskard said.

Staff are still waiting for the delivery of chairs and tabletops, the complete installation of the bar, the delivery of a few pieces of kitchen equipment and inspections. Art hasn't been hung on the walls yet, but Buskard said those pieces will include a collage of memorabilia from the property's time as Clara's.

When it opens, the restaurant will seat about 120 people, with additional patio seating in the warmer months. The restaurant also has an upper mezzanine space for private parties.

Named after Bonnie Salamon, the grandmother of Buskard's partner who earned the nickname "Bobcat Bonnie" because she often drove a Bobcat utility vehicle around her family's Ohio farm, the restaurant is a neighborhood spot that serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

Bobcat Bonnie's menu changes seasonally but always includes a mix of burgers and sandwiches, soups, appetizers — including fried goat cheese and nachos — and dishes that include fish and chips, meatloaf, and a spicy barbecue chicken bowl.

The restaurant's weekend brunch offerings are a staple, too, including signature cocktails, waffles and pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and burritos and tacos.

"I really just tell people it's kind of like a new American restaurant, so we focus a lot on appetizers, a lot on sandwiches, a few entrees," Buskard said. "We try to change the menu seasonally, try to keep things fresh, we try to just be of great value to people because I think right now people are looking for great value."

Bobcat Bonnie's first location opened in a century-old building in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood in 2015. Six additional locations in Ferndale, Grand Rapids, Partridge Creek, Wyandotte, Ypsilanti, and Toledo, Ohio, have opened since. The company plans to open another location this year in Kalamazoo, Buskard said.

Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .

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This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Bobcat Bonnie's to open first Lansing location in historic Clara's building