Zehnder's Ranks #1 Restaurant & Institution In United States!
Rank of the Top 100 US Independent Restaurants
April 22, 2009
By: MyBayCity Staff
Zehnder's has been serving up family style chicken dinners for over 80 years!
According to
Restaurant & Institutions, a restaurant trade publication, Zehnder's was number one in the country serving 966,835 guests. This is the third year in a row that the restaurant achieved the top guest count rating.
"It's a testament to a fantastic staff and loyal guests that in the toughest economy since the Great Depression, and with such extreme conditions in Michigan, that we served more guests than any other independent restaurant in the country," said Zehnder's Chairman and CEO Al Zehnder.
Known for its popular all-you-can-eat family-style chicken dinners since 1929, Zehnder's also ranked number one as the largest independent restaurant with 80,000 square feet of hospitality. More than two-thirds of the 100 restaurants ranked are located in Chicago, Las Vegas and New York. Overall Zehnder's ranked number 48 in sales. The restaurant also holds the distinction as having the lowest average guest check at $14 among the top 100.
"We don't get up every morning thinking about setting records or being on some list," said Zehnder. "What we do is make sure that each guest that comes through our doors leaves with the willingness to want to return. There are no secrets to success; just hard work, determination and a desire to excel."
Zehnder's is gearing up for Mother's Day, traditionally one of the busiest days of the year when the restaurant typically serves more than 5,000 meals. All-you-can-eat family-style chicken dinners are the most popular menu item and guests consume more than 840,000 pounds of chicken every year. The restaurant's menu also offers seafood, steaks, fresh baked goods and European desserts.