Lansing Has 2 BJ’s and We Know All The Questions You Want To Ask

Well, this is awkward.

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And not in that weird, snickering, dirty joke kind of way.

More like we showed up at the party and are both wearing the same outfit awkward.

How DID this happen?

Call it dumb luck I guess. Two different businesses with "BJ's" in their names open up in Lansing just a few months apart. On different sides of town.

But they gotta have something in common right? Do the initials mean the same thing? There's a crazy Uncle called BJ? Crazy Aunt BJ? Gimme something.

Are they owned by the same people or company?

Negative. Nope. No affiliation at all.

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc., commonly referred as BJ's, is an American membership-only warehouse club chain based in Westborough, Massachusetts, operating on the East Coast of the United States in addition to Ohio and Michigan, with plans to expand into Indiana. (Wikipedia)

Currently, they have 3 in Michigan (Taylor, Madison Heights, and most recently Lansing).

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. is an American restaurant chain, headquartered in Huntington Beach, California.^[2][3] Some locations feature microbreweries that supply beer to other locations in the chain.^[3] The chain operates under the names BJ's Restaurant & Brewery, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, BJ's Grill, and BJ's Pizza & Grill. (Wikipedia)

There are currently 4 of these in Michigan with locations in Livonia, Sterling Heights, Taylor, and most recently Lansing.

Massachusetts vs California.

Wholesale Club vs Brewhouse/Brewery/Pizza joint.

One sells cookies and one makes a mean pizookie.

It's a pizza cookie dessert thingy. It's amazing. And not available at the wholesale club.

Just saying.

How does the BJ's thing work here?

No crass jokes are allowed here people. We're all adults. And no self-respecting place of business would name their spot for the low hanging fruit of a joke that the initials imply.

In fact, each place and the initials have different and special meaings.

BJ's means what at the wholesale club?

"BJ" stands for Beverly Jean, the daughter of the first president of the company. (BJ's)

They also have two of their own product lines: Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen.

BJ's = Beverly Jean and a nod to Berkley Jensen?

BJ's means what at the brewhouse?

I wish I could tell you but all I got from searching the internet is that's what it's been called from the beginning.

BJ's was founded in 1978 and first opened in Santa Ana, California, as BJ's Chicago Pizzeria^[5] by Mike Phillips and Bill Cunningham. (Wikipedia)

At the end of the day, the only things these two businesses really do share are three letters and an apostrophe.

Have we mentioned the pizookie and how you need to go get one of these asap?