The Banq Opens in Lansing's Former Edmund's Pastime Space

The Banq, a banquet and event hall, has taken over 2101 E. Michigan Avenue in Lansing — the address where Edmund's Pastime closed quietly in late summer 2026, less than two years after its November 2024 opening.

The conversion marks at least the third food-and-beverage concept to attempt the Eastside building, which previously housed Arcadia Smokehouse and, before that, a PNC Bank branch. The new operator's own name nods to that history: The Banq occupies a former bank building.

Lansing has recorded more than 25 restaurant closures this year, according to local reporting, and the Edmund's Pastime shutdown contributed to that count. The pivot from a neighborhood restaurant to a private-events venue is a familiar one in midsize markets, where banquet business can smooth the revenue swings that sink walk-in dining rooms. Whether that logic holds here remains unproven.

What is The Banq?

The business describes itself as a gathering and banquet hall for parties and events. Its website states its scope plainly: "From an intimate gathering of 25 to a celebration for 300, The Banq brings people together in a space with character."

That capacity range — 25 to 300 guests — positions the venue for everything from small private dinners to large receptions, a wider operational band than the restaurant it replaced. The website copy emphasizes the space itself, not a kitchen, a chef, or a menu, which suggests the business model centers on room rental and event hosting rather than daily food service. No ownership group, management company, or culinary team is named in the source material.

When did it open?

The exact opening date is not public. The source reporter searched for a confirmed debut and found nothing concrete. The best available marker is an event: The Banq hosted DJ Rock City's sixth annual Halloween party on October 30. The venue has therefore been operating since at least that date, but anything earlier is inference.

An operator that does not publish an opening date also has not, so far, published a pricing schedule, a booking calendar, or catering arrangements. Event halls live or die on those details. Their absence at launch is either a deliberate quiet rollout or a sign the business is still assembling its commercial offer — the source does not say which.

What does the building's history tell us?

The property at 2101 E. Michigan Avenue has now cycled through four distinct uses: a PNC Bank branch, Arcadia Smokehouse, Edmund's Pastime, and now The Banq. Three consecutive hospitality concepts in one building is a pattern worth noting, because repeat turnover at a single address usually points to factors beyond any one operator — rent, foot traffic, parking, or the physical limits of the space itself.

Edmund's Pastime lasted roughly 21 months. Arcadia Smokehouse's tenure is not detailed in the source. The Banq's switch from daily restaurant service to event hosting changes the economics rather than repeating them: fewer operating days, larger per-event revenue, and less exposure to the slow weeknights that erode restaurant margins. It also concentrates risk in a booking pipeline the public cannot yet inspect.

What comes next?

The source closes on an open question: what else The Banq will offer as it matures. For now, the verifiable facts are a venue, a capacity range of 25 to 300, a confirmed Halloween event on October 30, and a building with a long memory of failed restaurants.