Eve Aronoff explains decision to close Ann Arbor restaurant; Zingerman's will move into its Kerrytown space
eve the restaurant closes Sunday, then Zingerman's Deli will prepare to move some operations into the building.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
But, she stresses, there’s no drama behind the move.
“It was a pretty complex decision,” she said Tuesday. “Personal and complex.”
After 7 years of operating eve the restaurant from the location on the north side of Kerrytown at 415 N. Fifth Ave., Aronoff announced late Sunday on Facebook that she’ll be closing on Jan. 16.
Today, a managing partner at Zingerman's Deli confirmed that it will take over the space, using the kitchen for food prep and the dining area for meeting space as the nearby Detroit Street restaurant's expansion gets under way.
"Right now our plans for it are to operate (deli production) in the kitchen," said Rodger Bowser, explaining how the company will use the former eve's space.
He added: "It's not going to be seating for the deli."
Aronoff's decision to close ends the popular restaurant’s run as one of the top culinary destinations in Ann Arbor, status fueled in part by Aronoff’s appearance on Bravo’s "Top Chef" and her creation of a unique, rotating menu.
The decision, she said, frees her to concentrate on two goals: Healing from a 2010 back injury and building her new restaurant, Frita Batidos on West Washington.
Kerrytown manager Karen Farmer and Aronoff both said that the sides couldn't reach agreement on extending the lease for eve, a situation they’d both worked on for 2 years.
While Aronoff appreciated what she’d built in Kerrytown, the building wasn’t the best fit for eve the restaurant, Aronoff said. That made her hesitant to commit long-term.
Eve Aronoff in her Kerrytown restaurant in 2006. The atmosphere helped her create an intimate dining experience for customers, she said, despite some capacity concerns.
AnnArbor.com files
There were physical limitations, like the lack of a prep kitchen, which “made menus very labor intensive,” Aronoff said.
The building offered plenty of charm and customers valued the intimate setting, but its location north of the main Kerrytown building never generated a lot of foot traffic.
That, Aronoff said, meant that non-peak dining hours never got “crazy-busy.”
Yet during the main dinner hours, the staff would have to turn customers away.
“It would have been great if we’d had 40 more seats in the dining room,” Aronoff said, to even out the revenue potential.
As the lease expired, Aronoff asked for a year-long extension, which worked for both parties.
However, the second request for another extension didn’t, though Aronoff said there’s no animosity behind it.
“I felt comfortable signing up for another extension, but not another 5-year lease,” she said.
The restaurant itself was successful, she said, and “we were busy.” She wasn’t looking for additional capital, she added.
“We’re not closing because it’s not going well,” she said.
Meanwhile, Zingerman's will buy the restaurant’s equipment, she said, as the transition takes shape.
“It’s a group that I respect a lot and they were … extremely considerate and fair,” she said. “We have 100 percent good feelings and support for each other.”
Bowser said Zingerman's had wanted to find nearby space to absorb operations as construction put parts of its deli out of service this year. As the eve space came onto the market and Zingerman's talked to Aronoff, it became clear that for both the timing "couldn't have been better," he said.
For the deli, the opportunity to move into nearby facilities preserves the high level of business it generates, and also adds new, unique space to what Zingerman's offers for catering services, Bowser said.
Site work to prepare for deli construction is happening now, Bowser added, with more work expected to start by spring.
"This whole month has been spent getting the (deli) campus ready for construction," he said.
As for Aronoff, the top of her to-do list right now is healing a back injury that’s lingered for 8 months. And with the opening of a second restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor, that healing wasn’t going to come with working 100-hour weeks.
Eve the restaurant’s staff of 30 met the news of the closing with both sadness and hopes that she’d heal, Aronoff said. They knew she didn’t have a working partner in the restaurant - other owners are only financial backers - and that the injury limited what kind of emotional and physical investment she could maintain in the restaurant.
They also knew that the lease negotiations weren’t yielding a deal, so learning in recent days about the change left them wishing the restaurant could at least stay open for a bit longer.
“This place really was like a family,” Aronoff said.
For now, Aronoff said she’s putting her heart and soul into Frita Batidos while her first priority is healing her back.
A bit further down her to-do list is keeping an eye open for future restaurant possibilities. Does that mean she could open a new version of eve the restaurant someday?
“I would love for that to happen,” she said, though it won’t happen soon.
Aronoff recognizes that many customers will miss eve. She said she started out wanting to create a restaurant that felt personal to its clientele, where people could feel comfortable visiting the kitchen or reacting to menu changes.
Reaction since she announced the closing proves to her that she accomplished that.
“It means a lot to me that people appreciate the care that we put into the restaurant,” she said. “… That’s what I cared about from the beginning.”
Paula Gardner is Business News Director of AnnArbor.com. Contact her at 734-623-2586 or by email. Sign up for the weekly Business Review newsletter, distributed every Thursday, here.
Comments
bunnyabbot
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 12:26 p.m.
@jon, I didn't say that the cost of ingrediants/price ratio was too high at all. It is not infact. BUT Dancing Sandwich Enterprises (ari and paul) "fees" off of each zing business is still a relatively nice chunk of the "profit". the small piece of the pie for profit sharing is relatively low b/c projected sales are often put passed what they meet up with, many years they don't show a "profit" at all, DSE always gets their "fee" put the employees don't get raises or a share of "profit" anywho, as for kerrytown, YES, it would be better to let the space sit empty for six months if a long term prospect came along. The fact that zing only wants to be there a year DOES NOT help kerrytown as it is not a new business that could create buzz, thereby attracting bodies and dollars. All I can reason out of it is that zing offered more for 12 months than a "real" tenant would give. This is still short sighted on the part of kerrytown. I wonder if kerrytown had the sense to negotiate that zing could not change the space too much that would make it harder to market it after they leave or if they wouldn't strip all the kitchen equipment either. overall I think, LONG term, this is not good for Kerrytown. They need a restuarant there, serving food, to the public.
Jon
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 1:16 p.m.
Still did not provide any proof of the claim made, once again, that Zingerman's owners are paying themselves outrageously, or provide any proof of questionable bookkeeping practices. This sounds like sour grapes. As to the eve space, I think the area can live with a prominent tenant that pays when rent is due, rather than an empty, non-revenue producing space. I'm not sure where many commenters have gotten the idea that the eve space is a "restaurant" space - I don't buy that notion at all.
Jon Saalberg
Sun, Jan 16, 2011 : 9:40 a.m.
@bunnyabbot: None of your facts are relevant to my comments - it is a fact that Zingerman's uses high quality ingredients that result in higher priced items to maintain a reasonable cost/price ratio. It is a fact that Zingerman's gives back to the community through Food Gatherers and other charitable activities. It is a fact that Zingerman's is not permanently taking over the Kerrytown space, a fact that many seem to miss - they are using the space until the renovations are complete on the original deli.Doesn't it make sense to have a paying tenant in the space that can pay their rent, rather than have the space empty, or occupied by a tenuous tenant? Also, it's not like I get an endorsement fee or anything for stating facts about Zingerman's - rather, it's just tiresome that people let their collective envy override reality. It's amazing that people repeatedly state that Zingerman's is making money hand over fist when they have not provided any information to back up such statements, with this or any article related to Zingerman's.
bunnyabbot
Fri, Jan 14, 2011 : 9:03 p.m.
I agree with another poster that a2.com hypes and promotes their "darlings" additionally, I wish another poster (jon saalburg) while singing the praises of zingermans (through multiple articles) would also disclose that he worked there, met his wife there AND has a sandwich named after him. Kerrytown management was very shortsighted about this. They should have waited for a better long term solution for this restaurant space. furthermore there is nothing funnier than all those people that take those zingtrain seminars. Zingermans DOES NOT practice what they preach. Keep drinking the zing koolaid, ya'll diserve it.
Heady99
Fri, Jan 14, 2011 : 10:17 a.m.
Zingerman's is so out of touch with today's economy and the ramifications it has had on the people. I quit going to Zingerman's over a decade ago due to high prices and the "sometimes it is really good" and "sometimes is was really bad" I don't miss it. Good luck Eve I never went to your restaurant but the comments I heard from others were that the food was always good/great.
eCoaster
Thu, Jan 13, 2011 : 2:05 p.m.
Why does this article make such a point of singing eve's praises (again) when the comments here and in response to the original piece tell a much more mixed story? Once again, annarbor.com is hyping and promoting their local darlings. I'm sure other businesses would welcome some free advertising, too. All depressingly insular.
Catherine Juon
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 9:12 p.m.
How fabulous to see two of Ann Arbor's foodie businesses working together! What a relief it must be for Zingerman's to find a new home during their construction - I can only imagine what wonderful thing will take its place when their new home is complete. Can't wait! (And grateful Eve is still cookin' - Frita Batidos is yum-my!)
HerrSnibbens
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 6:59 p.m.
@Donald Wilson The spot was a restaurant for 7 years as Eve. It was a restaurant for many years before that as the Kerrytown Bistro. Both were successful and loved by many. Anecdotal evidence of random lost stragglers coming into the deli doesn't mean a whole lot to indicate the location's lack of viability in the face of almost 2 decades of continual and successful restaurant operations there. Ann Arbor has A LOT of tourists and they are frequently very confused. By your rationale, Zingerman's Deli itself should have closed down years ago. I can't even begin to count how many people have told me over the years how it is so difficult to find, etc. "What exactly is the problem with turnover and change?" I can think of a lot of changes that are bad ones. Turning a beautiful public restaurant space into a private production facility is one of them.
Donald
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 6:36 p.m.
@Luke I live in Ypsi, and I go to Gabriel's, and Bill's hot dogs, and the Chick-Inn, and The Full House, and the Bomber. Hands down, these places have some of the best food you'll find, for the type of food they specialise in. I also go to Zingerman's. The problem isn't that the Stern's only pay attention to Zingerman's, it's that they DON'T COME TO YPSI. Our food culture in Ypsi is older than most anything you'll find in A2, and yet we don't get mentioned, ever. This has nothing to do with Zingerman's, and everything to do with us not making a brand for ourself the way Ann Arbor has.
Donald
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 6:27 p.m.
It's all well and good that the space in question IS a restaurant, and people want it to REMAIN a restaurant... but answer me this... If this is really a good LOCATION for a restaurant, why is it that every Saturday night, people walk into Zingerman's Deli, and have to be walked by one of the Zingernauts down to Eve, because people can't find it? If that's the case, is it really benefiting Kerry Town, or being benifitted BY Kerry Town, to be there? Besides... Eve has a new place. What exactly is the problem with turnover and change?
JAM2
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 5:36 p.m.
I am personally aware of at least two chefs with the capacity to raise money and open an amazing restaurant both of whom have spoken with K-town about that space - asking to be notified should it be available. Neither were contacted. This is not about railing against Zingerman's and its mission...I eat at one of their establishments at least once a week. I have tremendous respect and pride for what they do for our community. Its about a space that is particularly well suited for an independent restaurant startup. As someone else mentioned, there may be many vacant spaces downtown, but to turn a commercial office or retail space into a restaurant is VERY expensive. Many of my friends have worked for Eve over the year's, in every concievable position including sous...they all agree that the kitchen is small...but if you read Eve's words carefully she was saying it was too small for HER FOOD...not to make food. Other chefs with other styles can AND WANT to make that space work for them.
leaguebus
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 4:29 p.m.
It sounds like these changes are a win win for all parties involved what with the Zing expansion and all. The M&Y connection to Zingermans is Matt Morgan was the manager of the Deli and Tommy York was a partner. So these guys know their stuff.
sun runner
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 2:37 p.m.
@ShadowManager "No one likes getting ripped off on an everyday item like a coffee or a bagle and no one likes paying 14 bucks for a sandwich" Apparently, plenty of people don't mind or don't care, which keeps Zing's in business. Be careful when you say "no one," because that clearly isn't the case here, given the enormous lines outside the deli. If you don't want to pay $14 for a sandwich...then don't patronize Zingerman's. Goodness knows I myself haven't been to the deli in over a decade. I stick to the Roadhouse and cheap pints of beer during happy hour.
andralisa
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 2:34 p.m.
But every time I went -5 times, the food was SO uneven. I brought people in from out of state and was REALLY embarrassed, that is when I gave up. So long EVEIE and don't do another cooking show either.
bcg920
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 11:42 a.m.
The reality of the situation is that there are many young chefs/restauranteurs chomping at the bit to open a spot, however they face many challenges and hurdles in the current downtown landscape. It is a challenge to find a spot that is viable without requiring a serious amount of financial backing to fund buildout and conversion of the commercial location. To me the spot at Eve represented a great opportunity for an aspiring individual to open a restaurant with a small to moderate amount of start up and continue the trend of great, independently owned restaurants that have occupied the location. It could have provided a much needed, new voice in the Ann Arbor food scene, rather than yet another Zingy enterprise. Don't get me wrong, I respect and support (frequently) the businesses Zingerman's have built, but their continued Ann Arbor take over gets kind of depressing sometimes.
HerrSnibbens
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 11:16 a.m.
The original story was updated with comments from the K-town manager. She says: "The space will remain a restaurant, Farmer said, and at least two potential new tenants are interested in it." So....how does that wash with this story? Or is she counting Zingerman's use of the space as a "restaurant". If so, that's quite a stretch. My home kitchen may qualify as a "restaurant" as well under those terms since I prep food there and privately cater events in my own little "restaurant".
a2baggagehandler
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 11:02 a.m.
Yeah, we should of gotten some input from SPARK on this.
Peter Baker
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 10:12 a.m.
"No one has reported that other potential tenants for the space were thwarted by Zingerman's leasing the building." Too true, and I'm not saying Zingerman's or the landlord should've done anything differently. I suppose I'm just lamenting the fact that there aren't new startups chomping at the bit to acquire the spaces around town.
ShadowManager
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 10:04 a.m.
Zingerman's and its unquestioning fans... what I call "Zing-zombies"... spend so much time cheerleading the company and all it does that some of this negative feedback is probably really shocking.
laurie wood
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 8:46 a.m.
Thank you johnnya2. And John Saalberg. I live in Ann Arbor and love Zingerman's. I appreciate the quality of their foods as well as their customer service and am willing to pay for both.
aamichigan
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 7:38 a.m.
@johnnya2: very WELL said.
rusty shackelford
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 6:16 a.m.
"john," many of the M&Y employees started at Zingerman's.
KathrynHahn
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 6:02 a.m.
I miss the restaurant "Tivoli" that used to be in K-town. Eve will be missed as well. As for the zing's at Zingermans, I have to agree, they can get away with charging what they do as most of their regular clientele can afford it, but on one day I felt a bad cold coming on and went to pick up a bowl of chicken noodle soup (just noodles and broth, mind you, no actual chicken) and it was $5. So was the matzah ball soup, one big matzah ball floating in broth, for $5. That's what I personally have agains Zmans, taking the profit point too far...
Veracity
Wed, Jan 12, 2011 : 12:17 a.m.
Zingerman's is an institution in Ann Arbor and creditable for the quality of food sold there, expensive as it may be when compared to lesser food purveyors. It brings favorable publicity for the city as you probably noticed if you watched enough broadcasted Michigan sports events. As far as complaints about costs, nobody is forced to eat there and the pricing is upfront and not divulged only at the cash register. Finally, many fine commercial buildings of various sizes remain empty in Ann Arbor. No one has reported that other potential tenants for the space were thwarted by Zingerman's leasing the building. In view of the building's proximity to Zingerman's and Zingerman's need for extra space temporarily during upcoming construction, the Deli is fortunate in obtaining the use of the building. Whether the building would have been leased otherwise is not known.
ClearedToPlay
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 11:04 p.m.
Kerrytown's owners can do as they want w.the space. However, it is shortsighted. Zingerman's is not paying top rent for prep space. A restaurant or cafe would. Zingerman's usage will not generate any traffic and potential shoppers for the other Kerrytown tenants. Healthy crosstraffic is key to an invigorating retail environment. People who came to dine at Eve (or the other restaurants) will also come back at a different time to shop. If it is just going to be a temporary short term lease to the blah and boring meat slicing operation why not let the restaurant stay for a year? Something else is definitely going on.
Peter Baker
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 10:41 p.m.
More off topic input: I have zero problem with Zingerman's, I love it. But I do have a problem with any company (or University) scooping up freshly available space that might've let a smaller company get it's start. Ann Arbor's starting to feel like a caricature of itself. The say death and taxes, but the only thing that's certain here is Zingerman's and the University.
Jon Saalberg
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 10:12 p.m.
The animosity towards Zingerman's is easy to explain - unfortunately, we live in a world where some people view being very successful at what you do as inherently being wrong in some way. The only thing wrong is that anyone would cast aspersions on a business that is an exemplary company that gives back to the city in many ways - through Carrot Way housing, the establishment of Food Gatherers, sponsorship of variation charitable events, and more.As for the prices - using the best ingredients means you need to charge enough to make a profit - profit is not a dirty word, unless you are interested in going out of business.
Luke
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 10:06 p.m.
Re: Zingerman's "Takeover" I just resent the hegemony that Zingerman's seems to represent, particularly to outsiders. Listen to the "Road Food" column from the Splendid Table on NPR; when they come to Ann Arbor, it's practically an informercial for whatever new Zingerman's venture has opened up. There are good places to eat in the Ann Arbor area beyond Zingerman's and Blimpy Burger; lots of them are housed in that stretch of Washtenaw with the vacancies, like Haifa Falafel, Pacific Beach, or Smokehouse Blues. I would enjoy it if more people in and out of Ann Arbor paid attention to individual, inspired places like those instead of just cooing over the myriad outposts of the Zingempire or Main Street Ventures. Then again, I'm an Ypsi weirdo who goes all the way East of Ford Rd. for hoagies at Gabriel's and waits to find the perfect chicken heart sausage somewhere (I probably should try Zingerman's, I guess :)!). My food freak flag may fly higher than the average. I didn't see that level of quirky approach on display during my visits to eve, but I still lament the loss of an independent voice in the area restaurant community.
ShadowManager
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:42 p.m.
I sum up the animosity locals have towards Zingerman's: No one likes getting ripped off on an everyday item like a coffee or a bagle and no one likes paying 14 bucks for a sandwich, regardless of whether albino grass-fed nannygoats carted the cheese down the mountains from the Alps or not. A rising tide raises all boats, and the Zing-egmony in this town has certainly raised the pricepoints in all of Kerrytown and indeed, all around the city. I also don't buy their gimmicky "Zingerman Family of Business" strategies and buzzword marketing program ZingTrain they shill to everyone that somehow they were genuises and not just two lucky entrenprenuers that were in the right place at the right time to shill overpriced gourment goods to eager and gullible foodie shills.
Justin
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:13 p.m.
I am confused at the animosity toward Zingerman's in these comments. First off...drive down Washtenaw between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. I would estimate the vacancy rate at close to 20% over those 6 miles. Business is still very slow and fragile in this state. We should be glad we have a growing business that needs additional space downtown. Second...people come from all over the country to visit and eat at Zingerman's, and the majority of the comments above are complaining about their use of the space for gatherings / meat slicing? I guess I don't get that viewpoint. And finally, what is it about feeling that the space should be "reserved" for innovative chefs and restaurant owners? Besides the space limitations listed above, I don't even think it's the best spot for a dinner restaurant. A lot of the traffic in Kerrytown is day-time traffic.
ShadowManager
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:55 p.m.
Looks like Zinger-Bucks win again! are we on the verge of a smilin and friendly Zing-gemony, a utopia of 14 dollar sandwiches and 4 dollar small coffees? I think we might be!
Honest Abe
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:50 p.m.
There IS something off with this whole ordeal. It does not make sense one bit, plain and simple. It is as if something totally different was going on.As if EVE and Kerrytown decided mutually to say one thing to the public but the reality of the situation is between them and them only. Yes I am speculating, but as a former detective and an MBA holder, I am willing to go on the limb and say what I just did. I give all due respect to Eve and Kerrytown. This closing makes no sense! PERIOD!
johnnya2
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:27 p.m.
I wonder how many of you have experience in operating a restaurant, AND have spent one minute in the kitchen at Eve? Eve mentioned it in the article, but let me make this clear, there is NOT ENOUGH SPACE. The restaurant could never expand the kitchen without sacrificing dining room seats. Zingerman's will not have that limitation, since their plans seem to be to use the space for banquets. I also find it funny how people want to tell Kerrytown what they should do with their property. GIVE it to an up and coming chef. Hey, I have an idea, YOU buy the building and give it to an up and coming chef. Until then your opinion DOES NOT MATTER. If you don;t like Zingerman's, DONT EAT THERE. If you dont like Kerrytown, DONT SHOP THERE.
Jon
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:07 p.m.
I'm sorry to see this place go. Eve was one of the best restaurants in the city and will be missed. We need more unique places to eat in Ann Arbor with a good wine list, great food, and great atmosphere. All the best to Eve and her new restaurant and thanks for bringing us such a great place.
John Roos
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:05 p.m.
Eve is a genius at designing amazing restaurant spaces. eve the restaurant will be greatly missed but as a business proposition, restaurant's are a tough business.
Foodie01
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 7:40 p.m.
Love Zingerman's, but that space really needs to be a restaurant. First closing the spot below that used to be Sweet Lorraine's, now this, leaves a void in the Kerrytown area.
JAM2
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 6:15 p.m.
I also think its needs to be said that K-town clearly shares some blame here...I don't get it...they wouldn't give Eve another year extension, but they signed a deal for Zingerman's to have a temp kitchen? So does that mean that amazing space will be locked up as a prep kitchen for more than a year? I know Zingerman's can shake a nice fist-full of dollars, but strategically this sounds like a bad deal for K-town...though Eve probably didn't get a significant bump from K-town foot traffic, I'll bet the shops DID get some residual from Eve. It was a destination for people who otherwise wouldn't even know that shopping center existed. Come on! Give that space to a new chef! Let our culinary blossoms bloom! This is truly outrageous...
312fd
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 6:02 p.m.
Hoooooray corporate empire prep kitchen in prime location!! Boooooooo extending an opportunity to promising young talent and progressive ideas! Depressing...
john
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 5:25 p.m.
This is so depressing. Everyday this city recedes further and further from it's inventive, local, cutting edge roots. Zingermans, (once unique and genuine), now turns out okay product and charges astronomical prices, with lines and lines and lines out the door for the sheep. I would much rather go to Morgan and York and deal with REAL local business, where you get what you pay for and aren't raked through the greedy coals. Now they turn a great location in Kerrytown, one that a young up-and-comer might have used to showcase a possible new idea, new talent, into a glorified storage space for their mindless fauna. Yuck... get me off of this crazy boat! The old locals must be going nuts!
Lola
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 5:08 p.m.
Jogger, Zingerman's cakes aren't exactly Betty Crocker from a box so how much do you think they should cost? Most of the products that Zingerman's sell are very high quality, usually the best that a reasonable amount of money can buy. You have to pay for quality. I've never tried one of their regular cakes (the sour cream coffee cake and lemon poppy seed don't count as regular) but have heard they're not very good so maybe you have a point. If the cakes were up to Zingerman's usual standards I'd say $50 would be a reasonable price. Personally I think their bagels could use some work as well. That being said, Zingerman's is becoming the University of Michigan 2.0, gobbling up real estate all over town. At least Zingerman's has to pay taxes.
JAM2
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 4:26 p.m.
It is really unfortunate that Kerrytown is not allowing a new, up and coming chef a chance to launch something great...just like Eve accomplished. That space is second to none in character and intimacy and, as much as I respect and appreciate everything that Ari and Paul do, it should be used as a restaurant...pure and simple. I know at least half a dozen, investible, young chefs who could do something awesome there.
Jogger
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 4:05 p.m.
well zingermans can surely afford the space as they charge up the wazoo for thier products and I can only imagine the profits they are reaping from those high cost items. $50 for a cake. Come on.
timjbd
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 4:02 p.m.
This town certainly IS lacking a good private meat slicing club.
HerrSnibbens
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 2:36 p.m.
So Zingerman's is turning this beautiful and intimate restaurant space into a member's only clubhouse? (and meat slicing area?) Very sad. Surely someone there can come up with a better idea than that.