Founded in 1982, Zingerman’s Delicatessen has not always been the thriving Ann Arbor staple it is today. What began as an idea, A dream shared by two friends, Ari Weinsweig and Paul Saginaw who hoped to bring their traditional Jewish foods from their hometowns to Ann Arbor.
Despite the name, there has never actually been a “Zingerman”
The two friends wanted to go with their own last names. However Weinsweig worried that his surname would be too hard to pronounce, while Saginaw feared his name would be overshadowed by the nearby city.
Instead, the pair settled on “Greenberg,” believing it sounded approachable and distinctly Jewish. However, when they tried to register the business, they received an unexpected call from a man in Detroit who had already claimed the name.
Back to the drawing board they went.
After careful consideration the pair decided a successful business name is one that stands out — particularly in the era of phone books. Knowing their deli had to appear at either the beginning or end of listings, they began brainstorming names starting with the letter “Z.”
Jenny Santi, Zingerman’s marketing and communications manager, said the now-iconic name was ultimately inspired by its sound, rather than any real person.
“I can’t remember who it was. Maybe it was one of their wives who suggested Zingerman’s as a Jewish sounding name,” Santi said. “But it was completely made up, there is no Zingerman’s person.”
The business then opened in Kerrytown as a modest grocery store and deli. Now, more than four decades later it has blossomed into a network of Ann Arbor destinations, including everything from event spaces to a candy store.
Surprisingly, large-scale expansion was never a part of the founders’ original vision.
As the deli gained popularity over the years, customers encouraged Weinsweig and Saginaw to open locations across Arbor and even cities like Chicago. The founders resisted, believing that Zingerman’s success was tied to something difficult to replicate.
“They really felt like the success of the deli was because of the neighborhood,” Santi said. “It was because of the building it was in, because of the things and the people that were inside. They didn’t feel like if you picked that up and replicated it somewhere else, that you would have the same food experience, the same service experience.”
Rather than franchising the deli itself, the founders made the decision to build new businesses, each with their own distinct identities. While still maintaining their same customer centered core values, the philosophy eventually evolved into a network of 11 businesses, spanning through the Ann Arbor and Dexter area.
Most recently, the business has launched food-focused travel tours that take customers on a culinary experience by bringing them to the origins of Zingerman’s ingredients. Destinations include a range of places, such as Tuscany, Ireland and Vienna.
Despite all the changes the company has seen, Santi says its mission has remained largely unchanged: ensuring every customer feels welcomed.
“We want them to feel included and welcomed, we want them to approach food and enjoy the food they’re eating,” Santi said. “Regardless of how much money they’re coming in to spend, or even if they’re not coming in to spend money, we want people to have a great time coming through the door and learning about our food. We want them to feel like we were the best part of their day.
