Zingerman's

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Zingerman's Building on Detroit Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan, around 2002
Zingerman's Building on Detroit Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan, around 2002

Zingerman's Delicatessen is an upscale food retailer headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and frequently ranked as one of the best in the country.[citation needed] Zingerman's markets its specialty foods extensively on the web, through its mail order catalog, from its retail store, and in catering and deliveries throughout the Detroit metropolitan area.

Founded in March 1982 by Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's began as a deli place serving traditional European-Jewish delicatessen dishes and sandwiches. It later expanded to selling gourmet foods from around the world, then began making their own bread at Zingerman's Bakehouse and dairy products at Zingerman's Creamery, and more recently opened a second restaurant, Zingerman's Roadhouse, which focuses on regional American cuisine. The enterprise now owns several brand names that make up the Zingerman's Community of Businesses, including Zingerman's Mail Order, Zingerman's Delicatessen, Zingerman's Coffee Company, Zingerman's Bakehouse, Zingerman's Training, Inc., Zingerman's Catering, Zingerman's Creamery, and Zingerman's Roadhouse. Zingerman's sponsors several mail-order food clubs and occasional culinary study tours. Ari Weinzweig writes a bimonthly newsletter on food and has published books on olive oil, vinegar, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, as well as the more broadly focused Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating.

Zingerman's Delicatessen is located in an area of Ann Arbor called Kerrytown. The original brick building (pictured), which echoes the brick lined streets of Kerrytown, houses the deli. Zingerman's Delicatessen also owns an adjacent building featuring sweets and coffee, as well as seating. A courtyard, with picnic tables, separates the two buildings.

On Saturday mornings, especially during the University of Michigan football season, the line of people waiting to place their orders extends out the door, around the corner, and down Kingsley St.

Zingerman's draw is not limited to the quality of its food. The blossoming community of businesses is also known for its community-wide attention to Great Service. Employees are known for being friendly, accommodating, and very helpful, creating an experience that draws first-timers in and keeps the faithful returning again and again.[citation needed]

While Zingerman's certainly has a highly visible and well advertised business, visitors often find parking to be scarce, distant and expensive; the wait for service in the store can be long in crowded, claustrophobic conditions; prices are high (sandwiches are generally priced between ten and fifteen dollars); and the vaunted Great Service can seem to be pesky, intrusive and embarrassing.[citation needed]

Zingerman's is also the parent of Food Gatherers, an organization that fights hunger in the Washtenaw County area. The purpose of Food Gatherers is to fight hunger by reducing food waste and by building relationships between hunger relief organizations. It also focuses on public education, food recycling and redistribution, and the development of new food resources. [1] Zingerman's Delicatessen was the first for-profit business to support a program of this type, and in 1997, Food Gatherers took over the organization and responsibility of the Washtenaw County Food Bank, and is now the major distributor of food in Washtenaw county. Now the 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization can redistribute an average of 5.75 tons of recovered and donated food per day.

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