WESTON — Six months after Weston residents first learned the Grand Rapids favorite was scouting new locations, Miss Lily’s has officially made the village its new home. The restaurant opened at 13539 Center Street on Saturday, September 12, and tonight serves its first dinner as it adds permanent evening hours on Thursdays and Fridays.
Owner Lauri Vanderzwan announced the opening the day before with a simple invitation: “Come join us 9/12/26 for some breakfast or lunch!” The new location sits, in her words, “just 6 minutes from our old location” on the Grand Rapids riverfront.
From Poll to Porch
In March, Vanderzwan asked her followers to weigh in on three possible sites for the restaurant’s next chapter: Tontogany, Liberty Center, and Weston. By May, the decision was made. “It was a hard decision for the new location and I looked at several,” she wrote, pointing to the Center Street building and its “super duper kitchen” as the deciding factors.
The months that followed were spent renovating. A new sign went up over the summer to an enthusiastic response from residents, and a front porch with handmade benches now invites diners to sit and relax. Vanderzwan credited a long list of friends, family, and volunteers for seeing the remodel through.
A Busy Opening Day
Opening day drew crowds from both Weston and Grand Rapids. “A big shout out to Weston and Grand Rapids for making our opening day… totally awesome!” Vanderzwan posted that evening. The restaurant opened just 20 hours after receiving its license, with four brand-new employees on staff, including two Weston residents who stepped into the kitchen for the first time that day.
The launch was not without hiccups. The restaurant’s credit card machines malfunctioned on opening day, leaving a stack of unpaid checks. Rather than chase them down, Miss Lily’s simply asked customers to stop back in and settle up, an appeal that was quickly shared by residents encouraging neighbors to support the new business.
Dinner Service Begins Tonight
Miss Lily’s launched with breakfast and lunch only while its evening staff was trained. Tonight marks the restaurant’s first dinner service, and the extended hours are permanent:
- Thursday and Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- All other days: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Breakfast buffet available, with the salad bar opening at 11:00 a.m.
To mark the occasion, the kitchen is serving Opening Night Specials:
- Beef and noodles with mashed potatoes and salad bar ($16.95)
- A boneless chop or a slice of Gary’s meatloaf with fresh beans and bacon, mashed potatoes and gravy, and salad bar ($14.95)
The rest of the menu stays true to the homemade comfort food Miss Lily’s is known for. Recent offerings have included daily soups such as chicken noodle and bean and ham, along with lasagna with meat sauce.
Miss Lily’s also offers catering for family gatherings, rehearsal dinners, receptions, and other events. The restaurant can be reached at (419) 832-3000.
For a village that hoped the “people’s choice” would bring Miss Lily’s to town, the first two weeks suggest the feeling is mutual.