Sheetz Announces First Lansing-Area Location: What to Expect

Sheetz has announced plans to build a new location in East Lansing, and you may not know it yet — but that's cause for excitement.

What Is Sheetz, Anyway?

If you haven't heard of it, Sheetz is based in Pennsylvania. It's a growing chain of convenience stores/gas stations/restaurants primarily located in the Mid-Atlantic, but slowly expanding into the Midwest as well, including Michigan. Sheetz has already opened a couple locations in Romulus, and expects to proliferate throughout the Metro Detroit area in the coming months with at least 15 more stores there.

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But Sheetz's expansion isn't limited to Metro Detroit. The company's got eyes on East Lansing too — recently confirming plans to build a new store where Rite Aid used to be: on the corner of Abbot Road and E. Saginaw Street. That will put it across the street from the East Lansing Marathon station which was torn down earlier this year and is currently in the middle of a rebuild.

READ MORE: What's Happening With Other Empty Lansing-Area Rite Aid Stores?

An exact timetable for the Sheetz opening in East Lansing hasn't been shared.

So why the excitement? If you've ever been to a Sheetz — you know. It's unlike anything else currently in the Lansing area. Think of Sheetz as a Speedway on steroids.

What Makes Sheetz Different?

At its core, Sheetz is a gas station and convenience store. Expect about twice as many fuel pumps as your typical Lansing area stop. The convenience store side of Sheetz is usually about the size of a truckstop store. (If you've been inside the Love's on I-96 near Grand Ledge, you've got an idea of what might be coming to East Lansing.)

Inside the Sheetz Kitchen: M.T.O. Food and Drinks

What really sets Sheetz apart from the pack is its in-store kitchen, branded M.T.O. (for "Made To Order"). The kitchen operates 24/7 and features an enormous variety of customizable fast food favorites, such as burgers and hot dogs, subs, fries, onion rings, and other fried appetizers. Sheetz offers salads as well, and their breakfast sandwiches are worth going out of your way for. The stores also offer made-to-order coffees, milkshakes and smoothies.

Customers can order via in-store kiosks, or by using the Sheetz app. Playing off the "Z" at the end of the store's name, get used to pretty much all their offerings being stylized with a "Z" at the end as well — think nuggetz, sliderz and wrapz. You get the idea.

Why East Lansing Is the Perfect Fit for Sheetz

Making its Lansing area debut down the road from Michigan State University is clearly a calculated choice by Sheetz. College students will love the low cost and round-the-clock accessibility. There will be a sizable portion of the student population at MSU that is already familiar with the brand based on the states they call home, and those young men and women will excitedly extol the virtues of Sheetz to their as-yet-unfamiliar friends. The new store will be a hit in no time. Look for additional Mid-Michigan locations to pop up within the next 5 to 6 years.