Co-owner of Green Dot Stables on navigating challenges

InLaws Hospitality co-ownerChristine Driscoll is a busy woman. Driscoll’s group — which includes her husband, Jacques, and husband and wife Les and Jessica Molnar — operates ve restaurants, all of which opened since 2012. That portfolio includes Detroit-based Green Dot Stables, Yellow Light Co ee & Donuts, Johnny Noodle King and Goblin Detroit sushi. InLaws, established in 2010, also operates Lansing-based entertainment venue The Junction, which opened last fall in a space that previously housed another Green Dot Stables. And late last year, InLaws Hospitality began running holiday-themed pop-up bars out of a space at 2545 Bagley Ave. in Detroit. The 39-year-old Driscoll talked with Crain’s about her company’s expansion, ups and downs, and future.

 InLaws Hospitality has a lot of properties. How’s business across the board right now?

Business is great and growing. We really feel the energy now that events have returned downtown. Our places have become destinations before and after big gatherings and we love it. Our teams always keep it interesting, expressing their creativity through food with things like mystery meat, special ramen bowls, weekly doughnut specials, sushi and onigiri specials, and the holiday bar keeps things changing all the time.

 How have those holiday-themed pop-ups been received? Why did you decide to use that Bagley space for the themed bar?

The holiday themed pop-ups are exceeding our expectations. It was a happy accident that the space (formerly Bagley Central bar) was available in December right before the holidays. The team is having a blast creating the menus, snacks and decorations for all these fun spaces. Stay tuned for what’s next.

 InLaws was involved in a bit of a labor spat with employees that played out on social media. How did that a ect business?

Until we met face to face with the former employee (at Green Dot in Detroit) and were able to put out a public statement, there was some confusion. Our employee handbook contains a set of protocols on how we should treat and respect each other. It is an important part of our culture. Unfortunately, while we were respectfully waiting for the opportunity to publicly clarify the confusion, there was an astonishing amount of misinformation spread on social media and other places. Fortunately we’ve cleared the air and the confusion and continue to talk regularly with the former employee. We’ve learned from our experience and today we’re a stronger team than ever.

 You opened The Junction entertainment venue last fall in Lansing. How has business gone there so far?

The new team in Lansing is doing a good

Rumblings

job reaching a broader clientele with a varied entertainment lineup. It’s nice to see the crowds grow again and we’re getting positive feedback from guests.

 Where does the name come from?

It’s a play on the building’s physical location. We’re located at the junction of Lansing’s city and township boundaries, and the boundary of East Lansing, so the name came from that cross section of municipalities.

 Are you o ering Green Dot sliders there?

Yes, but a much smaller and limited menu.

 After closing the Lansing Green Dot and before you rebranded the space The Junction, did you get any interest from potential buyers for that property? Why did you decide to hold onto the property?

Yes, we had some interested parties, but we really liked this group’s energy and ideas. This hybrid opportunity felt right because of the people involved, and we loved the idea of the space returning to an entertainment venue format like it had been many years ago.

 The Green Dot in Lansing was a great idea — just o the edge of the Michigan State University campus, close to the freeway. Outside of COVID-19, why do you think it didn’t work long-term?

I don’t think it’s a matter of the concept not working in Lansing. As Spartan alum, the Lansing location is sentimental for my husband and I and we really experienced incredible business ow and feedback after it opened in December 2017 with clientele from the academic, business, political and residential realms. In February 2018, there was a ood substantial enough to trigger a state of emergency in Lansing. We had 5 feet of water sitting in the entirety of the building for weeks. Our contractor sent us a photo of himself in a boat outside the front door of the building. The area was evacuated, and we couldn’t legally access the property until the state of emergency was lifted.

BY | JAY DAVIS

It was heartbreaking and drew a ton of media attention. We had to redo the interior of the building. It took us a good year or so to re-establish that we were open again and business started to boom. And then COVID came, and it was a blow that impacted a big portion of our clientele in a way that felt almost impossible at times to climb back up from. We opened and closed on and o with the mandates and then we came to the drawing board with a fresh perspective, imagining the space in its best form and the obvious answer was to focus on bringing its venue potential to the forefront.

 How does InLaws feel about business coming out of the pandemic?

We are rejuvenated, more creative and grateful for the fact that events are back, and people are dining out again.

Johnny Noodle King added a patio and a rooftop bar during the pandemic that has increased seating and sales. Green Dot is about even with pre-pandemic levels and Yellow Light and Goblin Sushi opened up in the middle of the pandemic, so we don’t have comparable data points there. Yellow Light started as a carryout window and continues that way today.

 What’s your favorite menu item at each of your restaurants?

Bánh mì Slider at Green Dot; New Seoul Bowl at Johnny Noodle King; co ee slushie and an egg sandwich with pickles, hot sauce and garlic mayo at Yellow Light; yellowtail and scallion roll at Goblin Sushi.