Zingerman’s Is Probably Correctly Rated
Ask Metafilter has a thread filled with advice for the A2-bound. We’re continually surprised how often Zingerman’s is slammed as overrated - to us, it’s one of the only Ann Arbor attractions that lives up to a good deal of the hype. At least the Bobo luxuries it peddles are hard to find elsewhere, and accessible to the student budget as a rare treat.
Hah! Not once is mlive mentioned.
posted by rjwhite on August 11th, 2004 at 4:24 pm….wondering what “if you’re in to that sort of thing” means?
Kinda reminds me of that ad for the
posted by todd on August 11th, 2004 at 4:34 pmKrusty Burger when a semi-satisfied customer exclaimed “I don’t mind the flavor”.
Eh, the one time I went to Zingerman’s I found it overrated, but maybe I should try again. Amer’s always does me well, so I haven’t bothered to stray often, and it seems a bit cheaper.
posted by Brandon on August 11th, 2004 at 8:03 pmI just spent the weekend in Athens, Ohio. COme down here is you want to see what a real college town is likie. But don’t tell anybody about it.
posted by Lukcy Jackson on August 11th, 2004 at 8:50 pmWell, I think Zingerman’s gets slammed more because it’s overpriced. I think of it as the Whole Foods of sandwich shops - good stuff, but generally too pricy.
posted by Nick on August 12th, 2004 at 9:30 amActually, of all the things you blast about being overrated in Ann Arbor, I can’t believe Zingerman’s isn’t one of them. I would put Zingerman’s at the top of the list, followed very closely by Angelo’s (I can think of at least two other better breakfast spots, and probably more).
posted by Geoff Brown on August 12th, 2004 at 9:39 amAngelo’s IS over-rated (the Northside, perrenial bridesmaid, is far better). Zingerman’s? Eh. They’re OK. Over-priced, generally, but you can find good things there (it’s a good place to buy good cheese, and their breads are worth the price). Mostly it’s just the obnoxious clientelle that keeps me away. “It’s not the band I hate, it’s their fans.”
posted by js on August 12th, 2004 at 10:48 amI thought Zingerman’s was overrated the first time I went there, too - it was on a Sunday morning, and it wasn’t worth waiting in that line. But when I tried going there later on a weekday, I began to see what all the fuss was about. Since they encourage sharing, you can split a huge sandwich and have dinner there for $4-5, and it’s usually really good.
I guess what I like about it is that they’re always trying something new and they’re really excited about food. And the employees take just as much time and care helping me pick out my $4 worth of cheese as they do with the Old Fourth Ward crowd’s $170 bottles of balsamic.
posted by ann arbor is overrated on August 12th, 2004 at 4:14 pmAthens? Really? I’ve been there, and had friends who went to school there, and as far as I can tell, going out into the cornfield and getting drunk is all there really is to do around there. Plus the surrounding area is really suspicious of non-white people.
posted by snickerdoodle on August 12th, 2004 at 6:12 pmI’ll always have a soft spot for Zingerman’s because of their 5¢ bread ends. I went to high school across the street and many times I managed to eat lunch despite being very broke (generally because I kept blowing my lunch money on records, but that’s another story).
posted by Kim Scarborough on August 13th, 2004 at 12:24 pmYeah, they’ll also give you free baguettes if you’re hanging around near closing time. I like the way they run their business - a lot of restaurants/gourmet stores charge for sharing food, refuse to sell small quantities and wouldn’t think of allowing their employees to hand out free stuff not as part of a promotion but just because it’s sitting around. It’s a very long-term-oriented customer service strategy. Sort of like what I’ve heard about Costco. I can see why people would pay to go to their business seminars.
posted by ann arbor is overrated on August 13th, 2004 at 1:28 pmTheir business seminars are ass. I had to go through one of them when I worked at the People’s Food Co-Op, and it was an obnoxious effort toward cultish brainwashing. I like the store, but their ZingTrain can fuck right off.
posted by js on August 14th, 2004 at 11:38 amJS writes, “I worked at the People’s Food Co-Op, and it was an obnoxious effort toward cultish brainwashing. I like the store, but their ZingTrain can fuck right off.”
The one thing I think Zingerman’s staff does do well is make every effort to provide above average customer service. Even if it’s not always possible for whatever reason, the expectation is there that the staff do a superior job…
I am a PFC member (have been since 1983) and am delighted to know that PFC management tried ZingTrain. It’s about time they tried something. Customer service at the Co-Op stinks, and is part of the reason I don’t shop there as regularly as I once did.
Working retail, of course, isn’t for everyone, but it seems that more and more people who work retail treat customers as inconveniences, rather than people out to simply make purchases.
Keith S.
posted by Keith S. on August 16th, 2004 at 2:16 pm