Zingerman's Bob Bennett on Culture and 22 Years of Leadership
Episode Details

Some people spend their careers looking for the right place. Bob Bennett found his 22 years ago and never looked back.


Bob Bennett is the head chef of Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan, one of the most beloved and respected restaurant institutions in the Midwest. He started as a line cook before The Roadhouse even opened its doors, helped paint the outside of the building that summer, survived a soft opening of 300 people with one day of training, and has been there every day since. What keeps him? The team, the culture, the guests, the sourcing obsession, the philosophy that food and hospitality can change people's lives, and a co-founder who still walks through the restaurant almost every single day in year 45 of the business.


In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Bob for a conversation that covers everything from mac and cheese out of a box in the mid-80s to sourcing whole hogs from a farmer 30 minutes away in Milan, Michigan. From studying sandwich menus instead of attending psychology classes at Eastern Michigan, to sitting in front of US senators explaining that without the Restaurant Revitalization Fund there would be no more sandwiches for them. From the open book management philosophy that makes Zingerman's feel genuinely different, to the no drama culture that keeps the average Roadhouse staff tenure at eight or nine years in an industry known for burnout and turnover.


This is a conversation about what happens when a business genuinely means what it says about people first, and what 22 years of that philosophy actually looks like from the inside.


In this episode, we cover:

  • Growing up in the mid-80s with mac and cheese, Hamburger Helper, and microwave cookbooks alongside family restaurant outings that introduced him to mussels and good seafood
  • The importance of people at the table more than the food itself, including 20 person family gatherings around an island bar eating KFC
  • Starting at Mongolian Barbecue with four friends around a circular grill for tips and frozen soup cubes
  • Studying psychology at Siena Heights, Eastern Michigan, and community college while working in restaurants and reading sandwich menus in class
  • A friend bringing him to stage at Zingerman's Deli and immediately falling for the energy of the line
  • The Roadhouse opening managed by Alex Young and how Bob got in the door
  • Knowing only three of five French mother sauces in his interview and still getting the job
  • Helping paint the outside of the Roadhouse building on scaffolding that summer before it opened
  • A "soft" opening of 300 people with one day of training on September 15th
  • How the Roadhouse menu has evolved while holding true to its American Southern core
  • Sourcing whole hogs from Neil Bastian in Milan, Michigan, 30 minutes away, with 150 hogs raised a year
  • Dahardi sourcing Tellicherry black pepper directly from farmers in India
  • The open book management philosophy: sharing all numbers with all staff so everyone has the full picture
  • The no drama culture: treating each other with kindergarten rules and having human conversations
  • Average Roadhouse staff tenure of eight to nine years in an industry known for 90 day churn
  • Maria Mendez: a server who was there on day one and is still there many years later
  • Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman's, still walking through the Roadhouse almost every day in year 45
  • ZingTrain: the Zingerman's leadership and management training program that has spread nationwide
  • The Independent Restaurant Coalition: from pandemic Zoom calls with senators to fly-ins on Capitol Hill
  • Why the independent restaurant industry is a bipartisan community resource that employs the second or third most people in the US
  • The spinning wheel of challenges facing independent restaurants: inflation, mergers, immigration policy, and rising ingredient costs
  • Southern Foodways Alliance symposium as an annual source of inspiration outside the building
  • A ridiculous cookbook collection as a primary learning tool
  • Ann Arbor as an emerging food destination with Miss Kim, Echelon, Knight Steakhouse, and more
  • What Bob is most proud of: the people in his kitchen every single day
  • An upcoming No Kid Hungry charity dinner in July and farm dinners in Ann Arbor
  • Advice for founders: ask for help, because the results are so much grander than struggling through alone


Find Bob and Zingerman's Roadhouse + Deli:


Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!



You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter!

Episode cover art for Zingerman's Bob Bennett on Culture and 22 Years of Leadership
00:00
30:00