The owners behind Lansing's Good Truckin' Diner opened a new counter-service spot Thursday morning in the REO Town building the restaurant left behind, serving up hot dogs, tacos, hoagies and house-made soft-serve to a neighborhood that had been waiting more than a year and a half for something to move back in.
Good Truckin' REO Bites opened at 10 a.m. Thursday at 1107 S. Washington Ave., according to WITL, which reported the counter-service eatery would offer limited indoor and patio seating and stay open until 7 p.m. The 850-square-foot space sits at the southeast intersection of S. Washington Avenue and E. Elm Street, per Whatnow, and had stood empty for more than 18 months since Good Truckin' Diner relocated to a larger location in Lansing's Old Town in 2025, according to the Lansing State Journal.
Good Truckin' never gave up the REO Town address even after its move, and the owners are now reopening those doors under a new concept rather than leasing the space to someone else. The whatnow report noted that as recently as August, co-owner Nick Sinicropi said there wasn't yet an opening date because the restaurant still needed to clear health department inspections before serving customers.
A Smaller, Faster Sibling to the Old Town Diner
REO Bites is built as a counter-service sandwich shop with a focus on breakfast and an all-day menu, according to the Lansing State Journal. The menu includes hot dogs, tacos, hoagies, milkshakes, floats, coolers, Italian soda and cold brew, alongside sides like pickles, slaw, mac and cheese, and chips.
Among the standout items is the REO Bites Meatball Hero, built with meatballs, marinara and mozzarella on a toasted hoagie roll, with a vegan version also on offer, per the Lansing State Journal's reporting. The Cowboy Taco comes loaded with braised beef, candied jalapeno, pimento cheese, shredded lettuce and poblano aioli, while the Low Country Hot Dog is topped with bacon jam, pimento cheese and candied jalapeno. Breakfast options include three breakfast sandwiches and breakfast tacos, and the sweets lineup features rotating soft-serve flavors with vegan and dairy-free options, along with rotating pastries.
Seating is intentionally modest: four tabletops and three bar stools indoors, plus patio seating outside, according to the Lansing State Journal. The shop is set to run 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and stay closed Sundays and Mondays, with Good Truckin' staff splitting time between the Old Town diner and the new REO Town counter.
Good Truckin' Diner's Old Town Location
Good Truckin' Diner's current Old Town home is at 1218 Turner St.
Owner Nora Gorman told WLNS that Good Truckin' left its original REO Town footprint because the restaurant had outgrown it. The owners hadn't intended the original space to remain empty for more than 18 months.
REO Town's Shifting Retail Landscape
The reopening comes as other REO Town business owners describe a changing retail environment. WLNS reported that some owners said customers have less money to spend, pushing businesses to rethink how they draw people in. Wheel House Studio co-owner Dan Nunez told the station that retail sales have slowed recently, even as the studio's seven-week pottery classes have become a steady part of its business.
Good Truckin's expansion also overlaps with other spinoffs from the brand. The Other Side, a cafe next to the Old Town diner, became its own shop and started operating under that name on Oct. 27, serving pre-made sandwiches, lattes and pastries on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. while doubling as overflow seating for Good Truckin' on weekends, according to Lansing City Pulse. That same report described a yet-to-open concept called Lunch Room as a planned replacement for Good Truckin's former REO Town location, with a sandwich menu expected to be much larger than The Other Side's.
