EL Moe's Firehouse grill has closed its doors. Never heard of it? Neither had I. Still, this closing of yet another mom-and-pop eatery along Grand River is the latest of umpteen different eateries shutting their doors since I attended Michigan State as a freshman (umpteen years ago). It's a revolving door syndrome in East Lansing that, with the current economy, likely will see no signs of turning.

But this closing speaks somewhat to the dumbing down of American cuisine, the gentrification of the American (or, more likely, Spartan) diet... or just plan bad marketing sense by some owners trying to make it.

If you knew where Taco Bell was on Grand River (near Collingwood Rd, Stonehouse Village... or where I knew it, near the Peanut Barrel), then you know it closed up its shop and moved across the street to the new high rise. But, the city didn't tear down the old building. It sat there, like a boarded up Alamo. Until Moe's took over, I guess. The guy who owns Moe's also owns Sahara's restaurant, a damn fine cultural cuisine on the south side of campus off Hagadorn. But noone came to Moe's. Instead, when Taco Bell moved across the street, people didn't go to the Alamo. They went to the new Taco Bell. Instead of getting better food, serving a local business... the clientele opted for the same thing they could get in International Falls, Minnesota. or, in Laramie, Wyoming. or, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. or, in Atlanta, Georgia. (but not in Mexico).

So much for people's diet. I've seen so many good restaurants (don't know if Moe's was any good) come into East Lansing and leave because of the cut-throat nature of the business and the pathetic palate of our youth, it is just a shame to see another yet put a lock-box on the door. When will the youth try something local instead of opting for same-old fast food?

I would put much of the blame of this on the owner. First off, a "firehouse grill" in an old Taco Bell restaurant isn't really a good idea. That thing should be steamrolled -- it looks the same as any other Alamo-style Taco Bell in America. And, it's run down. Second, opening a restaurant in downtown East Lansing in June when the students leave for the summer is just dumb... you lose your prime customer base. Finally, a complete lack of marketing effort - failing to have any promotion or fail to connect the locals to the cuisine - doomed the cause. The Meridian Township Police uniforms on the walls likely scared the students away....

Still, it would be nice to 86 the Taco Bells of this world in favor of local, fresh food instead of something heated in a microwave, prepackaged off of a refrigerator truck from St. Louis. Sigh. So much for the gentrification of our food.