Zingerman's Roadhouse Reopens After Six-Week Renovation
New floors, better acoustics, and the same Buttermilk Fried Chicken. The 23-year-old institution on Jackson Avenue is back.
Zingerman's Roadhouse reopened on February 19 after a six-week renovation that replaced the worn wooden floors, overhauled the bar room, and improved acoustics in a dining room that has needed it for years. The restaurant at 2501 Jackson Avenue closed on January 4 for the work.
What changed is significant without being dramatic. New ceramic tile flooring replaces the original wood, which had taken 23 years of punishment from a restaurant that seats hundreds and serves whole-hog pit barbecue. A reimagined bar room is better experienced than described. Lighting improvements throughout the space make the room feel more intentional, and upgraded energy-efficient kitchen equipment brings the back of house closer to current standards.
For regulars who worried that "renovation" might mean "new concept," the menu remains what it has been since chef Alex Young opened the place around 2003. Buttermilk Fried Chicken, made with Amish chickens, is still the anchor. Mac 'n Cheese still uses Martelli artisan pasta. NOLA Gumbo, Nashville Hot Chicken, whole-hog barbecue: all intact. Young, a James Beard Award winner who also founded Cornman Farms, the 27-acre operation in Dexter, has not used this as an opportunity to reinvent.
During the closure, the Roadhouse team kept cooking. A food truck on Stadium Boulevard handled takeout demand, while a temporary operation at Zingerman's Greyline on North Ashley served dine-in customers. Bob Bennett, who has been with the Roadhouse since it opened, helped coordinate the transition.
As one of roughly 11 businesses in the Zingerman's Community of Businesses (an organization that employs more than 800 people and generates tens of millions in annual revenue), the Roadhouse has always been the big, loud, democratic one. Bring anyone, order a plate of fried chicken, and feel like you're in good hands.
Twenty-three years is a long time for any restaurant. A renovation at this stage is a commitment to the next chapter, not a concession to the past one.
Zingerman's Roadhouse is at 2501 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor. Open daily for lunch and dinner.