As you might have gathered from my post last week, I am a bit of a Zingerman's fanboy now. Keeping in mind that the good service we received doesn't magically appear, I decided to send an e-mail off to help the good folks who made our experiences so good get a little recognition.

From: Tom Brady
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 7:37 PM
To: Toni
Subject: What a great experience!

Good evening!

Last weekend my partner and I were in Ann Arbor for a social event. We had some downtime during each day, so we had time to go out and forage for our own meals. Over the course of Friday and Saturday I went to Zingerman's Deli twice, the Creamery, the Bakehouse, and the Roadhouse.

I am not normally one to gush over how a business operates, but I was really moved to write in and comment on my experiences of the weekend. I know that Zingerman's places a high value on quality product and good customer service, and that was absolutely in evidence at each location I visited. At the Deli on Saturday, I was amazed at the order taker's (she wore a Donald Duck hat, but I didn't get her name) grace under pressure, willing to take the time to answer questions and make sure every order was correct even with a horde of people in line. Likewise, the fellow with the "FBI" cap (alas, I didn't get his name either) at the register sold me on a couple of Zzang! bars in addition to my sandwiches by taking the time to open one up and give me a sample (yum!), again keeping his cool in a very hectic environment.

At the Creamery on Saturday afternoon, we were assisted by the amazingly helpful Josh M. It was clear to me that he knew his product, and he was excited about it too. We had a lot of questions about the cheeses there, and he and the fellow who was working with him took the time to explain each cheese, offer us samples, and discuss the proper storage and serving for each cheese. Our group bought $75 worth of cheese on the strength of his excellent service. The delicious gelato was a nice cap to the visit, too! Josh also mentioned the Tour de Food, so we picked up a T-shirt that evening when we visited the Roadhouse - a very nice souvenir!

Our meal at the Roadhouse was simply amazing, and not just the excellent food. It is no small feat to deal with a party of sixteen at 7 PM on a Saturday night, but the waitstaff there handled the task with skill and efficiency. I noticed the team approach that they took in keeping drinks filled, serving dishes to the table, and making sure that each and every diner was satisfied - I take that as a sign of good organization on the part of the restaurant management. We left a sizable tip in appreciation, but I do hope that word of our appreciation reaches them as well - not only was the meal excellent, the experience was excellent and that's worth even more. (And my fingers are crossed for Chef Young in the James Beard Awards - it is an accolade well-earned!)

We don't get to Ann Arbor often, unfortunately, but it is pretty much assured that every time we find ourselves out that way we will be visiting at least one Zingerman's location. Thank you for helping tomake this a memorable and enjoyable weekend for us!

Best regards,
Tom Brady
Hainesville, IL

P.S. - My blog entry on our weekend is at http://duncandahusky.livejournal.com/356983.html

I sent my e-mail off and didn't think much of it. However, less than two hours later (at almost 9 PM EDT!) I received this reply:

Subject: Re: What a great experience!
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:50:37 -0400
From: Grace Singleton
To: tabrady@gmail.com

Hi Tom-

Pattie at mail order forwarded your email on to me, and I just wanted to write and thank you for taking the time to write such nice things about us! It's always really nice to hear positive comments and I especially appreciate you giving descriptions of the staff you interacted with at the Deli. I know the woman in the Donald Duck hat is Mary, and I think the man in the FBI hat was David, but I'll find out for sure and thank both of them and share your letter with them.

Thanks for making my day, and for making their days- they will really appreciate the kind words and knowing their hard work made a difference in your day!

It also sounds like we need to get you a tour de food tee shirt that will fit you-so you can have your very own souvenir. I'd like to send one along to you if you'll share your mailing address and the size you wear.

I hope to meet you the next time you get back to Ann Arbor- please ask for me when you come in.

Regards,
Grace

Grace Singleton
Managing Partner
Zingerman's Delicatessen
422 Detroit St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

And here I was thinking I couldn't be a bigger Zingerman's fanboy - I sure am now! It is such a pleasure to see excellent customer service in action.