OT: NY Times article on Zingerman's
Pretty interesting (and long) article on Zingerman's, and their unique business model. I had no idea about most of this.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/06/business/at-zingermans-pastrami-and-partnership-to-go.html?src=me
"And they started rolling out new businesses: A bakery that had been started to make bread for the deli became Zingerman’s Bakehouse. A training and consulting business, ZingTrain, would share Zingerman’s strategies and philosophies, especially its emphasis on customer service and staff training.
There are now six ZCoB businesses clustered on the south side of Ann Arbor, including the Zingerman’s Mail Order business, the Zingerman’s Coffee Company and Zingerman’s Creamery."
Their spicy ginger ale is to die for.
I may as well start the process. :)
Food: I've never been disappointed in the product. It's often very good.
Prices: Way too high for a restaurant of that type in Ann Arbor's weight class. Their reputation (deserved) allows them to do that.
I thought every bite was worth every penny. Feed me no need to stuff me.
I think his argument is that you can get essentially the same sandwich at Maize and Blue and save $5 and a half hour waiting in line.
It's not an either/or proposition. Both are great and I'd be happy if Madison WI had a place that was even half as good as Zingerman's or Maize & Blue. And for the record, Maize & Blue isn't exactly cheap either. Thought $15 for a sandwich isn't bad when you can feed a family with it.
people can do exactly that...go somewhere else.
Zingermans seems to be holding its own--high prices or not. Maybe its not the deli a college kid can go grab something on a daily basis, but clearly as a business, it's doing alright.
I'm personally a big fan--but I'm also not a college kid on a college kid's budget.
Both of their Reubens taste the exact same and both are big enough to be considered two meals. One was a stone's throw away from my bed. One cost $5 less. One didn't involve waiting in line for a half hour with a bunch of food snobs. It was an easy decision for me. I didn't really care if the owner sent some schmuck to Moscow to taste the Russian dressing.
Zingerman's was perfect for when your girlfriend's parents were in town and you had to do something to kill an hour before you could send them home and get back to jamming their daughter.
See, I just dont get why people have to insult others, either way, be it Z's or M&B. Just because I prefer Zingerman's that makes me a food snob? I could argue that Zingerman's have much more to offer than Reubens, and that if you avoid going at the "peak" times, you wouldn't have to wait in line at all, especially after their renovations. I was there a few weeks ago on a Tuesday night, and by the time my family decided what we wanted to get, we ordered right away and took out seat at a table.
I'm sure you know who I'm talking about though. It's not like I'm the only person on the planet who hates foodies.
but I am also a college student. Also, I hate pretty much all foodies. Can I borrow $15?
Saying they taste the exact same is like saying all pizza is the same. They both have crust, sauce, cheese, toppings, but no, they are not the same.
so that is really your issue I suspect. Given a 5% profit margin, it is fair to say that while Zingerman's is expensive (for a Michigan-based deli), it is not over-priced. If you think Maize and Blue--a perfectly fine deli--is using the same quality products, then I suspect you also think a Nissan coupe--a perfectly fine sportscar-- is as good as a Porsche 911.
If you completely ignore the convenience, price, and efficiency issues I mentioned and only focused on the smart ass jokes, I guess you could say that my only issue is food snobs. You'd be a moron, but I guess you could say that.
Comparing luxury cars to deli sandwiches is asinine, but we'll go with it. If I had to go grocery shopping and you told me I could use either your Nissan Coupe that was parked across the street or your Porsche 911 that was parked all the way across town in a parking garage that takes a half hour to get out of, I would take the Nissan.
makes no sense. Mine compared price with quality--yours apparently has something to do with convenience? People (usually) get what you pay for--and as many have accurately pointed out, the quality of the ingredients used by M & B don't compare with Zingerman's. Again, that doesn't mean M & B doesn't make a good sandwich--one that is certainly more affordable to Michigan students and fairly priced for what you get.
But thanks for the personal "moron" insult--that certainly elevated the conversation.
You said you can get basically the same sandwhich at M&B, which is just not true.
I've had enough of this debate. I've owned up to the fact that my personal preference is based on laziness, cheapness, and the taste buds of a 7 year old.
I don't think I've even said anything bad about Zingerman's other than pointing out that their clientele has a tendency to be rather obnoxious. This is obvious from every single Zingerman's debate in the history of MGoBlog. Both sides are obnoxious.
I'm disappointed in myself for continuing on after my joke about shoving my girlfriend's parents out the door so I can get back to fucking their daughter. That's on me. Won't happen again. (Of course it will).
Now if anyone wants to discuss how overrated Angelo's is, I'll be back in a few hours. I'm going to get a Reuben from 7-11.
What I would recommend at Z's is called (if I'm remembering correctly) Jenny's Fix and it's their take on a pastrami Sky HIgh, which Langer's calls their #19. Pastrami on Rye with swiss, cole slaw and Russian dressing. This is the best deli combination in the world (regardless of the deli) and Zingerman's does it very well.
It's not only the meat, it's the bread used on the sandwich. I don't care what ingredients are between theslices of bread, if the bread isn't really good, then it isn't a great sandwich, and this is where Zingermans excels. Its rye bread, for instance, has been ranked by Saveur magazine to be the best rye bread in the country. Zingerman's breads are all excellent.
Zingermans offers, and I have taken, many of their bread baking classes. One of the first things you learn is the quality of ingredients that they use in their products; this comes at a cost, but also makes a big difference in the end product.
While Zingermans products may be overpriced for people on a school budget, the success the company has had suggests their products are priced fairly enough for the buying public in general.
is great quality. What, is USDA approved? Because that honestly means nothing.
It's generally not a good idea to weigh in on topics which you don't know much about, which you clearly do not. USDA has almost nothing to do with it, other than grading (which is only the first step).
its prices were too high, people would ..........stop going. As that doesn't appear to be true by numbers or dollars, it looks like it is priced just right.
prefer the Maize and Blue Deli. Cheaper, and WAY bigger sandwiches.
They make a mean burger
Mean to your innards.
Gonna just go ahead and drop the Maize and Blue Deli love and then make a hasty exit.
See, I'd be inclined to feel the same way, if the quality (and size) of the products themselves hadn't so sharply declined at the same time they were instituting all of these things. I know a bunch of people who have worked for them, and it's absolutely clear they're a great company to work for. I'm on board with that.
Yet when I look at a sandwich that is twice the price and half the size of the sandwich we were waiting in line for in the late 80s-early 90s, before the empire expanded to take up the whole block and then some, I wonder. When I buy a Magic Brownie that is easily no more than 2/3 the size of the old brownies, at twice the price, I wonder, too.
Every year or so I tell myself "I'll give them another chance, it's Zingermans, fergodsakes." And every time, I wonder just why the hell I did it again. It's a wimpy, average sandwich with a snazzy atmosphere and deeply-engrained memories. There was a time when you'd have to eat some meat out of the middle just to get the damn sandwich in your mouth. Those days are gone.
Hey, it's kind of like Michigan Football, now that I think of it.
No, not at all. Cue the Johnny Cash music, but I've been everywhere, man. Zingerman's is one of those places that never gets old for me. Dusty's Cellar in Okemos is another (yes, I know there are better places).
Brahm's for a burger a shake in Oklahoma City, Rudy's BBQ in San Antonio (the I-10 location), Crown Burger in Layton, UT (but Red Iguana in SLC), Papa Joe's in Rochester Hills and Birmingham, MI and Dorothy Lane Market in Kettering, OH (neither are restaurants, but rather, markets).
And so on....
If you're a polar bear or a particularly ravenous glutton.
Sorry to say, but that's kind of a foolish attitude... When you deny yourself the opportunity to find our fiirst hand if your critisim is valid the only one losing out is you.
I usually spend the day in A2 on my birthday in late July, and the place is always packed when we go for lunch there.
Zingerman's > Maize n Blue Deli > DiBella's > Amer's > Jimmy John's > Sottini's > Quizno's > Subway