Two Sons Pizzeria expands into Grand Rapids with two concepts

Two Sons Pizzeria announced Jan. 12 that it is expanding into Grand Rapids with two distinct restaurant and bar concepts, a move that turns a small Traverse City operation into a regional player and broadens dining choices for Grand Traverse County residents.

The Grand Rapids flagship will combine counter-service with a full-service bar and restaurant and offer an expanded menu. Just down the road from that location the company will open a family-style concept inspired by the owners' new daughter. Owner Steve Tyson said the Grand Rapids concepts will adapt the model to a Midwest American Italian menu that includes deep and thin Chicago-style pizza, Detroit pizza, Chicago sandwiches and family pastas.

The announcement follows a rapid local rise. Two Sons began after Tyson and his wife moved from the East Coast to Northern Michigan in December 2022. The original Traverse City operation opened inside The Coin Slot arcade bar and ran for three years in a 550-square-foot kitchen. With the lease at The Coin Slot ending, the Traverse City location is relocating. In the interim Two Sons will operate from a built-in kitchen at Silver Spruce Brewing Company while the owners search for a permanent storefront.

For Grand Traverse County the expansion represents both local success and a microcosm of small-business growth pressures. Converting a 550-square-foot kitchen into a business that can scale into a multi-concept operation illustrates how food entrepreneurs leverage pop-up and shared-kitchen arrangements to manage costs while testing concepts. The temporary move to Silver Spruce preserves service and jobs in Traverse City during the search for a new space.

Market implications are straightforward. Moving into Grand Rapids exposes Two Sons to a larger customer base and stiffer competition but also opens revenue streams from a full-service bar and a family-dining format. Offering multiple pizza styles and sandwich and pasta lines diversifies the product mix, which can increase average transaction values and smooth seasonal demand swings typical in tourist-influenced Northern Michigan towns.

Local suppliers and staffing markets may feel secondary effects. A Grand Rapids expansion often increases purchasing volume for ingredients and could deepen supply ties to regional distributors. Hiring needs for two new concepts will create additional food-service positions, though the company has not released headcount projections.

The path from a coin-operated arcade kitchen to two concepts in a regional metro highlights a common growth trajectory for Northern Michigan restaurateurs: start small, prove product-market fit, then scale into adjacent markets. Our two cents? If you like local flavors with a Midwest spin, keep an eye on Two Sons’ Traverse City search and try their temporary offerings at Silver Spruce — supporting the next stage of local culinary growth helps keep jobs and menus diverse across the county.