End of an Era: Lansing’s Papa John’s Pizza Shuts Down

Sadly, Lansing has had another longtime restaurant closing its doors.

Lansing Restaurant Closures

This is truly the end of an era, as Papa John's Pizza in Lansing is closing.

This closure comes after being in business in the neighborhood for 43 years.

There's been no big announcement made, and when I went to the business in person to check things out this morning (at around 10 am), there was no closed sign or statement indicating the business was permanently shutting its doors.

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How do we know Papa John's is closing? When you go to place an order from their website, this is what you see:

One of Lansing's major entertainment and social media accounts, Lansing Facts, caught wind of the closure as well, and it's in the comment section of the post you'll find speculation as to why Papa John's Lansing is closing.

Why Is Lansing’s Papa John’s Closing?

Here are some of the theories:

• The cooler broke and it costs $15K to replace.
• The owners are older.
• Construction along Michigan Avenue has greatly impacted them.
• The building was bought by Resurrection Church across the street (the building next door to Papa John's is the church's parish offices).

Whatever the reason for this closing, it's truly a loss to the neighborhood. Papa John's Lansing got its start back in 1982 and at one time had four locations throughout the area. Eventually dwindling down to the one located on Michigan Avenue.

READ ALSO: Longtime Lansing Flower Shop Closes After Nearly 50 Years

Locals loved the high-quality food at such a reasonable price. And of course, we love the story of how this local spot took on a national chain and beat them. Because real Lansing locals know that this Papa John's has nothing to do with the national chain.

We're sad to see you go.