Lansing's Southside has a new place for feeding your fish and chips craving—
Scalawags Whitefish & Chips.
"I was always looking to open a new location and the opportunity came," says owner
Stephen Joseph, who also owns the Westside Scalawags on Saginaw Highway.
The new restaurant is a 2,300 sq. ft. building at 6250 S. Cedar that used to be a Chinese restaurant. Joseph hired nine employees to run the new Scalawags, which opened this past December.
Switching the building over required a complete build out and plenty of cleaning. Joseph says he is considering a patio in the future.
For the time being, though, he is focused on updating Scalawags' menu. "Healthier, with more salads," explains Joseph, adding that grilled fish will soon be available. He is also experimenting with lower priced meals in hopes of luring in new customers.
Joseph has run the Westside Lansing Scalawags for five years and has been in the restaurant business since 1988. "I like the business. It's fun," he says. Joseph also recently opened
City Fish in the
Lansing City Market. He says he may add a fresh fish cooler at the new Southside Scalawags.
Scalawags is unique in that its fish all come from local suppliers, and its trademark whitefish are caught by some of Michigan's Native American tribes.
Source: Stephen Joseph
Writer:
Daniel J. Hogan
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.