Emily Daunt, vice president of communications and operations at the Michigan Food and Lodging Association, said it is difficult to track how many restaurants have closed across the state since the spring of 2020.

She said: "We estimate that due to the pandemic, approximately 3,000 restaurants in Michigan will be permanently closed."

But Daunt does not have figures on how many restaurants have been opened since the pandemic began.

Despite supply chain issues and staffing issues, Greater Lansing has welcomed several new restaurants in the past six months, and more restaurants are expected to open in the spring of 2022.

"I don't think it's a good time to start a business," said Tarek Chawich, a graduate student at Michigan State University. "I think you really just need to jump up, hope it works and believe in the process."

Chawich, 24, plans to open Château Coffee Co. in a 1,800-square-foot space on South Waverly Road sometime next month, which used to be the location of the Biggby coffee shop. The specialty coffee spot will serve drinks made from 517 Coffee Co. coffee beans, Arabic and Turkish coffee, and baked goods.

Detroit Wing Co. will expand to the Lansing area next year. There are now more than a dozen branches, and the owner Gus Malliaras hopes to open at least three branches in the area next year.

He will first open one on South Cedar Street. He said that this takeaway restaurant specializing in 20 different types of chicken wings will open in six months. A site in East Lansing is also under construction.

"With the right concept and carry-over model, people will always eat out," Marialas said.

In the meantime, there are six regional restaurants—offering everything from home-cooked Hawaiian cuisine to soul food—that have opened in the past six months to consider trying this holiday.

Chris Hong was born and raised in Hawaii, the son of two parents in the restaurant industry.

He opened Aloha Cookin' at 350 Albert Street in early October. This is a family operation. Hong's parents Duck Ki and Hyun Ok Hong immigrated to Hawaii from South Korea in the 1980s and worked as chefs.

This 10-table restaurant serves Hawaiian dishes, including Poke Bowls and Kalua Pig-bacon and cabbage seasoned with Hawaiian sea salt and herbs. Many dishes are served with rice or macaroni salad.

"The hallmark of Hawaiian cuisine is a mix of all these different cuisines from all over the world," Hong said. "This is a very diverse place, so I think the charm of Hawaiian cuisine is that it is like a melting pot of all these different cultures."

Looking forward to finding Korean food on the menu. Find them on "Aloha Cookin'" on Facebook and www.alohacookin.square.site.

Lefty's Cheesesteaks has more than 40 branches nationwide. Its first Lansing branch opened on November 15th at 3201 E. Grand River Ave.

"Cheese steak is the core and soul of the company," said Carlos Guzman, a company spokesperson.

The sandwich is made of ribeye steak, grilled onions and cheese. This restaurant also offers hoagies, corned beef sandwiches and burgers.

The 2,400-square-foot East River Avenue location provides seating for 16 people and a drive-through window. 

Find the menu on www.eatleftys.com.

Mr. Corned Beef's corned beef sandwich opened a branch in Lansing in June, with different sizes.

There is a junior size and an extra-large size, showing a huge pile of corned beef.

This is a takeaway model, and it also offers Reuben, turkey and pastrami sandwiches as well as coleslaw, potato salad, banana pudding and peach pie.

The company has six locations in the Detroit area. Markella Smith, a cashier in Lansing, said the store at 401 N. Clippert St. has been busy since the summer.

"It's crazy busy," she said. "We have new customers every day."

Find the menu on www.mrcornedbeef.com.

If you decide to go to PappaRoti at 1000 Trowbridge Road, which serves baked goods, coffee and other delicacies, you'd better try the signature coffee buns.

Moe Ateyyat, the co-owner of the site, said that a slice of salted butter in the center of the dough made the finished bread "soft and fluffy from the inside."

"We put caramel coffee on it before cooking," he said. Sometimes it is eaten with ice cream.

The company has offices in many countries. The East Lansing branch opened in late October.

The menu includes specialty coffee and tea. Ateyyat plans to add sandwiches and salads, hummus and falafel to the menu next year.

Find the menu on www.papparoti.us.

Customers will find two dozen beers and a menu centered on 15 to 20 sliders at the Sidecar Slider Bar, filled with everything from pulled pork to tuna.

About five years ago, the first branch of this bar opened in Birmingham. Since then, the other two opened in Commerce Township and Farmington.

Co-owner Steve Simon told the National Daily in April that he will start working hard to bring a location to downtown Lansing in early 2020.

The new store at 500 E. Michigan Ave. opened this month. This space is close to Jacksonfield, the home of Lugnuts in Lansing, which used to be the home of Beer Grotto.

"This is an amazing place," Simon said. "We are very happy to be in Lansing."

Find the menu on www.sidecarsliderbar.com.

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Many of the growing up moments in Sonia Davis's memory were done in the kitchen.

"My family is built on food," she said. "We always stay in the kitchen and talk while cooking. This is what we do to entertain and entertain the family. Get together and make a good meal. Everyone has a good old time and a good old time. Time."

Sonia's Soul Food is an extension of the restaurant she opened at 3530 S. Waverly Road in September.

This is a family business that provides soul food-fried chicken and pork chops, catfish, grilled macaroni and cheese, yam, vegetables, potato salad and cabbage.

"This is cooking from the heart," said 48-year-old Davis. "I like soul food, because soul food is cooked with love. It awakens your taste buds."

Davis said that in her restaurant, 16 people can eat and take out, everything is freshly made every day.

Find the menu on the restaurant’s Facebook page Sonia's Soul Food.

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