Zingerman's Coffee Co., 3723 Plaza Dr. in Ann Arbor, will celebrate a remodeling project and expansion of its seating area during a grand re-opening Feb. 24 and 25.
"We're in the middle of an industrial complex, and it's not a place you'd expect to be super busy," says Steve Mangigian, managing partner of Zingerman’s Coffee Co. "But we identified very quickly that this has become a hot spot, and you'd see standing room only and lines out the door on weekends."
Remodeling that took place from July through November of 2017 more than doubled the available seating from around 40 before to 100 afterward, when including a few seasonal outdoor seats.
More room was made for kitchen and seating areas by moving offices to a space above sister business Zingerman's Candy Manufactory instead, Mangigian says.
Management took the opportunity to expand the kitchen and the menu as well, adding a new toast bar. Mangigian says the cafe had been operating with an extremely limited selection of pastries but wasn't offering many savory options, and that was something customers were consistently asking for.
"We're using ingredients like the Zingerman's Creamery cream cheese, black cumin, and other really great Zingerman's ingredients for exotic and filling toasts," Mangigian says. "It's a nice way of leveraging our sister businesses and giving customers a taste of what other Zingerman businesses offer."
The two-day grand reopening will feature special brews and events.
"We launched an internal contest, featuring a different kind of toast with toppings just for that weekend, and I am going to be hand-roasting and serving one of the rarest coffees, Panamanian Geisha, just for that weekend," Mangigian says.
Mangigian will also host a tour of the space Saturday, and a specialty coffee drink will be unveiled just for the grand re-opening. Visitors will have a chance to sign up for a coffee gift set giveaway as well.
"We were looking for a refresh," Mangigian says. "We have an opportunity with the bigger seating area and the toast bar to take it to another level."
Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.
Photos courtesy of Zingerman's.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.