Thanks for asking!
Will the Deli be closed during any part of the construction?
Why is the Deli expanding?
Did you ever consider moving instead?
How long will the project take?
What will it look like when it’s done?
How will it benefit guests?
How many jobs will it create?
Will it be a green project?
Will the heart of Zingerman’s Delicatessen be the same?
Who are the architects?
Who are the contractors?
Will the Deli be closed during any part of the construction? 
No, not for a single day. We are open every day for the duration of the project. We have unlimited creative solutions and a great staff to meet every construction challenge. And our customers are wonderfully loyal and great sports!
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There are a lot of reasons, some obvious and some not. Most importantly, we’ve run out of space. Over the past twenty-eight years, the number of guests coming to Zingerman’s has increased by a steady 10% each year. Between 2004 and 2009, the guest total grew from 310,000 to 450,000, a 38% increase! There is a ceiling on what we can do and offer due to space constraints. For example, we’re limited in how many sandwiches we can grill at one time due of the size of the sandwich line! Because our tiny kitchen is actually stressing the Deli building, moving kitchen operations into the newly constructed addition will help us preserve the historic structure. Our Deli guests get more seating options, additional restrooms, shorter and faster moving lines, more foods to experience, more food tastings, food classes and special dinners. Out of responsibility to our hardworking staff, our expansion will provide the most supportive work environment. By enlarging our facilities we will be able to give a better Zingerman’s experience to our guests and to our employees. We are creating all this and staying true to our look and feel.
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Did you ever consider moving instead? 
We never considered leaving Ann Arbor but of course we imagined a few other locations. In the end, looking around confirmed our commitment to stay put and contribute to the unique character of this multi-use neighborhood where we’ve been for almost three decades. We belong here where businesses and residences have always existed side-by-side. Our project increases the neighborhood green space and keeps a community gathering spot near downtown. It’s our privilege to be an active corporate citizen in the community that supports us.
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What will it look like when it’s done? 
- Check out our Plans & Drawings
- Zingerman’s Delicatessen’s front entrance remains the same and is the entrance to shopping and sandwiches as always. Standing outside on Kingsley, you look up at a 2-story glass atrium that joins the original Deli building to a simple 2-story brick structure (about 10,400 sq ft) on the site of the fire-damaged house on Kingsley. Inside the Deli walking past the Bread Box you enter the atrium to order your sandwiches. From there you choose from a variety of seating options on the first floor and second floors, in the outside courtyard or over in the Next Door.
- The historic “orange house” that we call the Annex currently sits at the top of our driveway. When we’re done, it will be a centerpiece for the new brick addition. Although the house has to move during construction, it comes back in its former spot to be part of the flow of operations inside the expanded Deli.
- Demolition will be followed by the acrobatic moving of the Annex (our orange house) just enough so that its foundation can be fortified. Later it will be brought back better than ever as a cool adjunct to the Deli Addition.
- On a newly paved patio will be lots of enjoyable outdoor dining and outdoor activities.
- The driveway has a gentle ADA accessible slope in the section between Deli and Next Door and level spots for tables. (Don’t say you never noticed how much the picnic tables are tipped!) Along with all these improvements is an abundance of edible landscaping around the campus.
- Zingerman’s Next Door remains the same favorite coffee-tea-breakfast-dessert-gelato spot for many loyal guests.
A ground-floor restroom tops the list for many and there will be two more on the new building’s second floor. We project shorter and faster moving lines because of a better layout, and a shorter wait time due to greater kitchen capacity. Retail shopping will be easier and more efficient. There will be more seating options to suit your fancy and easy accommodation for large parties! Tastings, classes and special events galore will fit easily into our expanded space. Outdoors and indoors, we are creating greater ADA accessibility.
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Initially, we anticipate adding over 60 new jobs to our local economy.
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Read more from our Zingerman’s Newsletter
Yes! We have the chance to reduce our carbon footprint and become more efficient in our energy usage. The project is registered with the Green Building Association and the Deli’s expansion will be a LEED-NC (that stands for “new construction”) certified green building! We are taking a giant step towards fulfilling the sustainability pledge in the 2020 vision for the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. Using the LEED points system we can identify and implement practical and measurable green design solutions to issues in construction (easy on the environment materials), operations (recapturing and reusing waste heat) and maintenance (monitored energy performance for optimal efficiency). Green building is just design that makes sense. It works well, and it works well for the long haul.
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Will an expanded Zingerman’s Delicatessen be the same? 
We say yes. The Deli “post build-out” is still be a hustling, bustling place to meet your friends, bring your family, enjoy great, full-flavored traditional foods and get the trademark Zingerman’s experience. The menu is the same, if not expanded. Servers are happily giving a taste of anything you want. There is more elbow room to engage with retail staff, exchange food stories and recipes. The sandwich runner still calls out your name. Morning regulars have spots to sit and read their New York Times. Bikers have more bicycle parking and access to emergency repair tools. Students have quiet spots to study. People still converge for meetings. Even though there is some nostalgia for the old cramped Deli, we think you will be very pleased with how the new space merges with the old, still feels familiar, and allows us to provide better service, better food, and an even better overall experience.
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After interviews with many competent firms, we chose to work with Quinn Evans Architects whose Ann Arbor office is right around the corner on N. Main Street. Their renovation of Hill Auditorium and their collaborative work style made us feel we could partner well in tackling our challenging project.
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We brought Phoenix Contractors on board early in the process. Owners Bill Kinley and Mark Hiser along with Chris Love, site manager, help us address a multitude of potential construction roadblocks and snafus. Their involvement from day one insures that the whole construction process will run more smoothly alongside our daily operations. They know we’re serious about being open for business every day!
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