This summer, Zingerman’s is taking its sandwiches on the road to seven stops in Michigan plus Toledo. The “Reuben Tour” includes its namesake sandwich and a dozen more, plus chips, soda, baked goods, and some deli items like hunks of Parmigiano-
Reggiano cheese and sliced corned beef.
According to Zingerman’s event manager Terra Brock, it started with an off-the-cuff remark by Deli managing partner Grace Singleton, who wondered if there was a way the deli could “take Reubens on the road.”
Zingerman’s already had some experience doing that: last year, a two-day pop-up in Chicago attracted more than 1,000 customers. After assessing interest on social media, it found partners willing to host a Zingerman’s visit. In July, the tour hit Kalamazoo, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing, this month the tour makes another stop in Detroit between visits to Oak Park, Toledo, and Cheboygan.
As with any rock band tour, there was also merch. A limited edition of Reuben Tour T-shirts sold out through Underground Printing.
Would Zingerman’s repeat the event in the future? “If it is a successful tour, we might just do it again next summer,” Brock says. “Stay tuned!”
