A new style of street level, open-air bar has made its debut in Lansing, just in time for a summer of fun across Michigan Avenue from the Lugnuts.
The Dugout is a 400-square foot walk-up bar from the owners of
Harem, who converted one of the original bar’s VIP area into the new, baseball-themed space.
“We’re right around the corner form the baseball game, and it’s just a small, little space, so The Dugout was the perfect name,” says Dave Sell, the bar’s general manager. “We’ve got ballpark-style dog and big draft beers, and we’re in the perfect place to watch fireworks. They literally pop up right above your head.”
The Dugout opened three weeks ago and employs four new workers. Even with a quiet opening and less than ideal weather in their first couple of weeks, the bar had a strong showing from the get go.
“Surprisingly, I’ve been pretty busy,” says Sell. “We’ve had people just walking by who say, ‘What’s this?’ We’ve gotten a great amount of walk up business.”
Sell plans to ramp up the buzz even more with a grand opening as soon as the warm weather stabilizes this summer.
The new bar is a part of the same ownership as neighboring bars The Exchange, The Harem Urban Lounge and The Loft, who invested $20,000 in the The Dugout.
Source: Dave Sell, The Dugout
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
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