Capital City BBQ first welcomed Guy Fieri and his long-running hit Food Network TV show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" in 2017, launching the Lansing restaurant from a cult following to among the area's most renown locally owned and operated establishments.

Fieri took a trip to Flavortown courtesy of Capital City BBQ's smoked brisket banh mi sandwich during that visit. He must have really enjoyed the Lansing eatery's unique blend of barbecue and Vietnamese cuisine, because "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" visited again just last week.

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Capital City BBQ owner Linh Lee was happy to have Fieri return to her restaurant on March 12. She told WILX Channel 10:

Cameras everywhere. Oh, my god, you guys should’ve seen it. It was so awesome. Just a moment where I’m enjoying my life for the last few years. That day I just enjoyed it so much. It brought back my smile.

An airdate for the episode featuring Fieri's latest stop at Capital City BBQ has not yet been announced. You can see highlights from Fieri's 2017 visit in this video.

The restaurant has experienced some turbulence since the last time Food Network came to town.

Capital City BBQ lost a significant amount of business in 2020 when Lee and her partner Regan Louchart, with whom she had been in both business and romance, split. Louchart, who was featured in the 2017 "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" episode working alongside Lee, allegedly hijacked the restaurant's phone number, placing an automatic message on the line saying that Capital City BBQ was closed. He also removed an expansive, large-capacity barbecue smoker from the establishment, Lee said.

Not long after that, the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered businesses — restaurants, disproportionately — causing Lee and her eatery further financial strain.

Capital City BBQ has withstood that adversity, though, and remains one of Lansing's favorite local gems.

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