Tag: ANN ARBOR
![]() |
|
|
|
Want more from Ari?Sign up for Ari’s Top 5 e-newsletter and look forward to his weekly curated email—a roundup of 5 Zing things Ari is excited about this week—stuff you might not have heard of! Follow us on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, @zingermanscommunity. |
Tag: ANN ARBOR

America’s secret fruit shows up on the Southside
|
| Check out all of the Creamery’s gelato flavors |
Want more from Ari?
Sign up for Ari’s Top 5 e-newsletter and look forward to his weekly curated email—a roundup of 5 Zing things Ari is excited about this week—stuff you might not have heard of!
Follow us on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, @zingermanscommunity.
Tag: ANN ARBOR

A Beginner’s Guide
Have you ever pulled up to Zingerman’s Roadhouse and wondered what the silver tea-pot-looking thing is in the front? That’s Zingerman’s Roadshow! It was established in 2004 as the to-go destination for Zingerman’s Roadhouse. The silver 1952 vintage Spartan trailer attached to the front of the Roadhouse today is a destination for drive-through Zingerman’s fans. Would we be Zingerman’s if we did not serve our guests their latte and croissant in style?
The Roadshow has come a long way over the years, and some are new to its charms, so here is a beginner’s guide to Zingerman’s Roadshow. Come along as we walk you through some insider tips, fun facts, and the best ways you can fully take advantage of what Zingerman’s Roadshow has to offer.
Check out the menu online before arriving
The first tip of the beginner’s guide to Zingerman’s Roadshow is that we highly recommend looking at the menu before arriving to maximize your experience. The Roadshow, not your typical drive through, with a menu board and loudspeaker, offers the convenience of enjoying high quality artisan food from the comfort of your car and on-the-go. It would be best to call ahead, pre-order, then pick up your order at the drive through. This will save you time and let you enjoy great food with little to no waiting time upon arrival.
No worries though if you are unable to call ahead to place an order. If you want a quick coffee and snack, then ordering right at the window of the Roadshow works great as well! Walk up guests can order from the Roadhouse Express menu. Did you know there are two menus to choose from at the Roadshow? There is the Roadshow and Roadhouse Express menu that can be found in one place. Check out the express menu here. That leads us to our next point, the menu.
Which menu should I order from?
The Roadshow menu items are prepared more quickly in the Roadshow itself, and are for our guests who want a quick bite. Guests who are using our drive through may wish to order from the Roadshow menu. The Roadshow also offers the Roadhouse Express menu, which includes items from the main-in-house menu that can be prepared in a shorter amount of time. Food from this menu will be served to you in 30 minutes or less. Guests who order from our walk-up window, who wish to dine in the Roadhouse Park, or who would like to order from the Roadhouse menu but do not want to wait too long may wish to order from the Roadhouse Express menu.
What to do when you arrive to the Roadshow
Now that you know all the amazing and tasty food options available, what do you do when you first arrive at Zingerman’s Roadshow? At the Roadshow, you are guaranteed to receive personalized and friendly service. For your convenience, there is no need to get out of your vehicle. When you arrive at the Roadhouse, just pull around to the Zingerman’s Roadshow. Staff will come out to your window and take your order.
You can expect your food to arrive in between five and six minutes when ordering a quick bite. If there is a need for a longer time, guests can pull into designated parking spots and receive their food in 30 minutes or less. Right across the parking lot there is the Roadhouse Park. Even though full service from the Roadhouse is not offered at the Park, it is the perfect way to have an office day to just work and relax in a pleasant atmosphere with delicious food. With the warmer weather, you can order to-go and enjoy your meal outside. After placing your to-go order from the Roadshow walk-up window, our staff will bring your order out to you in the Park when it is ready.

Breakfast Options at the Roadshow
The Roadshow is open at 7am seven days a week. The Roadshow breakfast menu is served from 7am to 11am daily. If you arrive for the Roadshow breakfast, there are plenty of to-go options. Their famous breakfast burrito, the Diez y Uno, is a menu item that you will be sure to love. It is made to order with farm fresh eggs, green chiles, Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon, and Ig Vella’s Monterey Jack cheese, all wrapped in a tortilla. Did you know that the Roadshow sells about 1000 burritos per month? It is safe to say, the breakfast burrito is a must-try when you visit the Roadshow for breakfast. Never be afraid to order extra bacon as well! In need of breakfast for your little one? No problem. Your kiddo can dig into the Kid’s Breakfast Burrito, just a smaller version of the Die z y Uno without the chiles. Perfect for those smaller appetites!
Another popular option is the Smoked Salmon Bagel, layered with hand-ladled Zingerman’s Creamery cream cheese, smoked salmon, and your choice of healthy toppings, such as capers, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion. All served on a toasted bagel of your choice.
If you are in need of a speedy snack to kick start your day, snag some of the Breakfast Noshers, such as toast from the Roadshow. Feast on artisanal bread from Zingerman’s Bakehouse baked fresh every morning and toasted to perfection, spread with farm butter or with organic peanut butter. The Roadshow can make toast from any kind of specialty Bakehouse bread available that day, just ask about our offerings!
The breakfast pastries are sure to not disappoint. Enjoy a large assortment of Zingerman’s Bakehouse pastries made fresh and ready to serve every morning to you with a smile. Find your favorite from our extensive list of Croissants, Cinnamon Rolls, Scones, and more! Fun fact, at 5pm, these delicious pastries are 50% off. Who can say no to that?
You can also indulge in the hand-made coffee cakes made with love by Zingerman’s Bakehouse. These coffee cakes can be enjoyed by the slice or grab a whole one for the road. Sour Cream, Hot Cocoa, Lemon Poppyseed, and a special seasonal flavor are all options you can choose from.
The Breakfast Sammie, made with farm-fresh scrambled eggs, Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon, and melted Cabot cheddar cheese served on either toast, a brioche bun, or freshly baked butter croissant, is another delicious breakfast option.
It gets even better! Quench your thirst with a wide selection of beverages such as a classic cappuccino or latté, Rhode Island Coffee Milk, or fresh-squeezed orange juice and lemonade. Prefer your coffee drink flavored? We make all our syrups in house! The Roadshow uses espresso and coffee exclusively from Zingerman’s Coffee Company.
Guests can create their own drink as well. All staff have gone through Zingerman’s Coffee Company training, how to pull and serve espresso, and how to taste the coffee and rate it so you can be sure your coffee will taste great!
Lunch and Dinner Options at the Roadshow
Enjoying all the yummy breakfast options? Let’s dive into the lunch and dinner menu. Served from 11am until close at 9pm, there are lots of delicious options such as the house-made Tuna Melt using line-caught tuna salad, melted with Chalet Swiss cheese, served on toasted Bakehouse sourdough bread.
Need something hearty but quick? Our Sea Island Sweet Potato Fries, made with sweet potatoes hand-cut and twice cooked served with house-made spicy mayonnaise, is a popular option. Did you know we can make them gluten-free? The Roadhouse Garden Salad, a refreshing healthy option, made with organic mixed greens, topped with cucumbers, carrots, and house-made salt-and-pepper croutons, with your choice of dressing on the side.
The Roadhouse Macaroni & Cheese is a huge favorite as well, available on the Express Menu. House-made béchamel sauce and lots of Cabot cheddar cheese caramelized with Mancini pasta. You can never go wrong with this cheesy goodness.
A BBQ Pork Sandwich, pit-smoked pork dressed with Eastern North Carolina BBQ sauce on a brioche bun with yellow mustard coleslaw, or a Turkey Cucumber Wrap made with Sy Ginsberg’s sliced turkey breast, sliced cucumber, lettuce, and house-made ranch dressing wrapped up in a flour tortilla, are all wonderful options that can be made to order from the drive through window of the Roadshow.
Who knew delicious food like a Carolina Gold Rice Bowl, made with Anson Mills’ Carolina Gold rice topped with the Roadhouse pit-smoked pork, tasty Millican Texas pecans, seasonal pickled veggies, fresh avocado slices, and garnished with the famous Roadhouse Red Rage BBQ sauce, can be ordered on-the-go?
How to stay connected
Hopefully, this guide to Zingerman’s Roadshow will help you navigate the to-go destination for the Roadhouse. Our rule of thumb, if you want a main meal, dine at the Roadhouse. If you are looking for a quick coffee and snack, then you can order right at the window of the Roadshow.
Stay up to date with all things Roadhouse and Roadshow by subscribing to the newsletter. See you soon at Zingerman’s Roadshow!
Follow us on social media, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, @zingermanscommunity.
Tag: ANN ARBOR
|
|
Want more from Ari?Sign up for Ari’s Top 5 e-newsletter and look forward to his weekly curated email—a roundup of 5 Zing things Ari is excited about this week—stuff you might not have heard of!
|
Tag: ANN ARBOR
We’re governing with grace… and Grace (Grace Singleton, that is!)
“Is Zingerman’s still run by its founders?” you ask. That’s a great question. We’ll answer with a tale, both old and new (just like our pickles!). What began with the Delicatessen, founded in 1982 by Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig, now includes 11 food and service businesses, 18 managing partners, 800 employees, and a council of leaders among leaders (hang tight, we’ll explain that in a minute).
An Overview of Zingerman’s Governance
Since 1994, the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) has been steered by our Partners Group (PG), a group that includes Ari and Paul, the ZCoB’s managing partners (the individual business owner-operators), and staff partners (staff members who own a Community Share; they serve two-year terms). As Ari explains:
It’s where we govern the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses—we use consensus decision-making there to lead the organization. The PG makes decisions on organization-wide issues, like deciding to approve our new 2032 Vision or our new Statement of Beliefs. Or if there was, in a strange sci-fi sort of scenario, just for conversation’s sake, let’s say a global pandemic, the PG is where we would decide how to deal with it.
One important piece that the 2032 Vision outlines is the ZCoB’s evolution of governance:
… we’ve seen a successful transition from Ari and Paul as founders heading the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) to a mode of governance that will last beyond the tenure of any individual. While long-time ZCoB leaders continue in important roles, a couple of new “generations” of insightful, collaborative folks have stepped forward.
That mode of governance is the Zingerman’s Stewardship Council, a five-member group created in 2020 as part of a succession plan to transition the leadership of the organization from its founders to the other managing partners. To be clear, the Partners Group isn’t going anywhere, rather, as Ari says, “The Stewardship Council is filling the role Paul and I have filled for many years as ‘leaders among leaders.’” He adds:
Our main focus in doing this work with the Stewardship Council is, by far and away, looking at how we can do what we do here at Zingerman’s ever more effectively. We want it to be a way to help lead the ZCoB in becoming an ever-bigger contributor to the community of which we’re a part. We want to support succession and inspire future success. We’re committed to creating a governance model that will help both the organization and everyone in it to thrive for many decades to come.

The original council members include Amy Emberling, Zingerman’s Bakehouse co-managing partner; Toni Morell, Zingerman’s Mail Order co-managing partner; Tom Root, Zingerman’s Mail Order co-managing partner; Ron Maurer, Zingerman’s Chief Administrative Officer and Zingerman’s Service Network managing partner; and Ari Weinzweig. Council members serve three-year terms, and just like the Partners Group, decisions are made using consensus. In June of 2023, we reached the end of the first set of three-year terms. The Council has been designed so that one of these original managing partners will come off each year—the first was Ron Maurer who has his eye on retirement in 2023 after more than two decades with the organization—and a new one is selected. Ari explains how that happens:
Our agreed-upon process for selecting members is that Paul and I, as co-founding partners, consult with our staff partners (since they’re not eligible to be on the Council) and others whose views we value, to make the decision. After a LOT of conversation, and honoring what we believe is the best decision for the organization, we chose the next member.
This time, Ari and Paul offered the spot to Grace Singleton, co-managing partner of Zingerman’s Deli since 2004. Grace knew from the beginning that she was destined for a life full of food (and she may or may not have thought the food industry would be glamorous thanks to a New Orleans restaurant where she received special treatment, sitting at the captain’s table and sampling Frangelico (a hazelnut liquor) at the age of 13!). Grace received her culinary degree at Paul Smith’s College in New York and managed restaurants across Ohio (we don’t hold this against her) and Michigan.
She found her way to Ann Arbor for the role of general manager at the Gandy Dancer and became a fan of Zingerman’s Deli. Eventually, she made the jump, calling it “the very best job in the food industry,” and in 2004, she stepped up from retail manager to co-managing partner. Since then, Grace has overseen the gold level LEED-certified Deli expansion project (2010–2014), the opening of Zingerman’s Greyline event space (2016), the addition of virtual tasting events for fans around the country (2021), and more, all while continuing to lead the day-to-day of Deli catering and retail specialty foods. (Impressive, right?!) Of this new role and her latest opportunity to impact the Zingerman’s organization and the Ann Arbor community, she says:
I’ve been here for more than 20 years and I’m really invested in the transition of our CEO’s roles. Ari in particular set the stage with his dedication to doing business differently and how we govern is an important part of that. I look forward to working toward our future with this committed group.
Want to read more? Ari wrote about Grace’s addition to the Council and the work of the Stewardship Council in Ari’s Top 5, his weekly e-newsletter, saying, “Success leads to succession work which, when done well, helps create more success. It’s a very virtuous and very inspiring cycle to be a part of.”
Tag: ANN ARBOR
|
|
|
|
|


Super-tasty Zingerman’s synergy by the spoonful!
