Interview with ari weinzweig, cofounder of zingermans. Out of his first book, building a great business a lapsed anarchists approach to building a great business management principles from zingerman s, ari shared his 12 natural laws of business, which ill comment on here. Well lead you in making zingermans delicatessens recipe for really great chicken pot pie from scratch, including mixing and rolling the flaky pie crust, cooking the veloute sauce, assembling the aromatic filling and shaping the pies. Opened in march of 1982, by paul saginaw and ari weinzweig in a historic building near the ann arbor farmers market. This isnt a question that kicks off many financial meetings. Unique and colorful branding is just one of the zingermans many hallmarks. He has presented his methods of category management at conferences for the fancy food show, good food foundation, and american cheese society. Sep 01, 2010 a lapsed anarchist s approach to building a great business zingerman s guide to good leading weinzweig, ari on. Part of zingermans uniqueness hails from their open book management practice. Another example of how open book management pays off involves a dishwasher at zingermans roadhouse who spoke up at a company huddle that he saw a. Jul 06, 2014 still, the introduction of openbook management at zingermans did not go smoothly. Through things like our approach to visioning, servant leadership, open book management, open meetings, our organizational change process, we use a lot of consensus decisionmaking all of it at the partner level is consensus and now bringing three staff partners into the partner consensus were working on employee ownership as well.
Zingermans guide to giving great service by ari weinzweig. Without solid information about how were performing financially. Open book management zingtrain zingermans training. Zingermans boss outlines strategy of sharing lavishly. Welcoming inquiries about craftroasted coffees for your business. We experienced it as one of the most powerful practices we have seen so far on our search. Mar 09, 2017 in 2017, this practitionerled conference will bring together more than 700 participants to learn and share best practices in open book management including information sharing, business and. Why open book management is an excellent way to run a business. Zingermans relationship with the internet followed a similarly organic approach. Hall of fame inductee the great game of business teaching employees to think and act like owners, using open book management techniques developed by jack stack. A radical approach to running a business, openbook management is about. After a decade of fun and flavor at zingermans deli, paul and ari in their ongoing effort to improve the quality and flavor of the continued. Zingerman s was in the top 10% amongst companies that practiced open book.
Zingtrain shares zingermans unique and uniquely successful approach to. The guests first exposure to zingerman s is a breathtaking experience. Learn the latest and greatest in the zingermans community. Our training covers a variety of topics including customer service, marketing, leadership, training, visioning, open book management, and more.
With this style of management, each employee is invited to a discussion on how best to run the business. Trendy ways to keep employees to be sure, but after reading the great game of business by jack stack, the team moved to openbook management. Ari weinzweig, coowner of zingerman s community of businesses in ann arbor, got acquainted with open book management in the mid1990s. At zingermans, pastrami and partnership to go the new york. The grits and bits waffle for breakfast, fresh salmon for lunch and dinner. Dec 28, 2016 the book outlined the idea of openbook management, which changed the business dramatically. A radical approach to running a business, open book management is about empowering every single employee in your business with the tools, education and data they need to act like owners. As controller, tom has championed open book management and taken the lead on educating staff about the. They had switched to practices known as open book management in 2002, and added a gainsharing program in which every employee shared in a pot of profits on a regular basis, but the companys employees were slow to adapt to the new way of life. Every week, pick up delicious and comforting offerings from zingerman s bakehouse, zingerman s delicatessen, zingerman s creamery, zingerman s coffee company, zingerman s roadhouse, zingerman s cornman farms, candy company and miss kim. Management lessons from zingermans ceo ari weinzweig. Specifically, she works with presenters and speakers entering and leaving the building. Its 1,200 employees have been playing the great game of business since june 2008.
Open book management in person business class zingtrain. Inside an openbook accounting huddle restaurant industry. Weve offered training to thousands of people on topics like customer service, leadership, visioning, open book management, among many others, and we plan to share as much of that insight weve. Heres some information that we think youll find handylocation. We attribute a good bit of our financial success, especially through these lean times, to being open book. This open book management is an incredibly powerful tool to create transparency and engagement. Companies that use open book management consistently rank in the top 10% of all companies surveyed. Zingerman s mail order 610 phoenix dr, ann arbor, michigan 48108 rated 4. This case outlines the origins of open book finance, its core elements, and its implementation at zingermans community of businesses in ann arbor, michigan.
Our beginning in 1992, frank carollo and zingermans delicatessen founders paul saginaw and ari weinzweig opened zingermans bakehouse. Open book management is more than just showing your employees. Our guiding principles specifically state that were committed to sharing as much information as possible with everyone in the organization. Frank, who started with the zingermans organization in 2005, joins founder maggie bayless to help run the almost 25yearold business. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. A radical approach to running a business, open book management is about empowering every single employee in your business with the tools, education and data they need to act and take responsibility like owners. Serving up thousands of made to order deli sandwiches with ingredients like premium black angus corned beef and pastrami, freerange chicken, turkey, housemade chopped liver, and chicken salad. Mara ferguson your guide to training at zingermans get. Zingermans deli in ann arbor michigan wanted to expand, but didnt want to dilute. Zingerman s has been an open book business for over a decade now. Im not in the deli business, but the book is inspirational and universal in its advice on how to view every opportunity to interact with customers as a chance to have them believe that they are the best thing that happened to you that day. The founders of zingermans deli and its sister companies were frustrated. Zingermans bakehouse is an artisanal retail and wholesale bakery and baking school in ann arbor, michigan.
When we look at these fullfledged systems like zingermans it took years. Trendy ways to keep employees to be sure, but after reading the great game of business by jack stack, the team moved to open book management. This graphic accompanies information about open book management, a topic at the core of saginaws talk at catersource 2019. Ive also been taught a lot about how to be the best possible service provider i can be. Read the latest stories, news and blogs on openbook management from the great game of business. Mission statement we share the zingermans experience selling food that makes you happy giving service that makes you smile in passionate pursuit of our mission showing love and care in all our actions to enrich as many lives as we possibly can. Our mission is to share the zingermans experience selling food that makes you happy giving service that makes you smile in passionate pursuit of our mission showing love and caring in all our actions to enrich as many lives as we possibly can. Zingermans deli zingermans deli ann arbor printable. Zingermans community of businesses the great game of business. The deli also stocks an exceptional array of farmhouse.
Jhtc abstracts, volume 2, issue 3 international chrie. The coowner and founding of zingermans partners founded in 1982. Acquire a variety of new tools and techniques for educating and empowering staff to make sound financial decisions. Since then, ari has been a serial social entrepreneur lending credence to the voice of generosity. Bakehouse and bakeshop 3711 plaza drive, ann arbor, mi 48108 7347612095 open everyday 7am7pm wholesale office 7347617255, fax 7347612190 monsat 7am6pm, sun 7am5pm join our enewsletter list. Youll make three varieties of bakehouse buttery sconessweet crystallized ginger, savory cheddar herb, and flavorful mother scones, made with freshly milled organic einkorn, which is known as the mother of all wheat. A radical approach to running a business, openbook management is about empowering every single employee in your business with the tools, education, and data they need to act like owners. Hes also written a phenomenal series on how to run a great business. The secrets include topics ranging from servant leadership, open book management, mindfulness, writing a vision of greatness, and plenty more. Once in a while, i wonder what it would be like to work for a traditional company that clearly defined roles and kept information in silos, lee says. The entire company is run using the openbook management obm.
This place is a must if you want to step outside the box. A lapsed anarchists approach to building a great business. When we teach our zingtrain management seminars, attendees regularly ask what. Open book management obm is a term first used by john case in inc. As controller, tom has championed open book management and taken the lead on educating staff about the financial ins and outs of the business. Zingermans becoming workerowned cooperative business. Open book is not a spectator sport its not just about showing people all the numbers. Here at the roadhouse i have learned a lot about food, sustainable practices, and open book management. We try to stuff our webinars with content, tips and techniques that we think will help you take your business to the next level. Guiding principles so, how do we bring the zingermans experience to as many. Zingtrains free monthly webinars an excellent archive and. This piece on an owner who has been tempted but hasnt been able to pull the trigger.
Public 2day seminars and 4hour workshops private training at our location or yours. Saginaw and weinzweig focus close on keeping employees engaged with their businesses via profit sharing and relatively high wages. Every month, theres a zingermans community of businesses huddle, which is the open book work so that those meetings are open to anybody in the organization that wants to come. It is a management philosophy founded on the idea that even the lowestlevel. The more information we share the more effectively everyone can make a positive difference.
Join in on the handson fun and learn to make a classic comfort food. Open book finance is a philosophy of management developed by jack stack, ceo of springfield remanufacturing corporation in springfield, missouri. I will tell you that there is no more powerful engine that has driven us toward more longterm profitability than going to open book where everybody is invited in to help run this business, said saginaw during a breakfast keynote address at the. When a dishwasher at zingermans roadhouse pointed out that customers. When people say open book management, most of the time they think about sharing the financial information of a company with everybody who works there.
The worlds largest conference on openbook management. Learn the keys to flaky and tender scones, such as how to properly cut the butter into the flour. Give your employees the skills to understand your business, to share the successes and the challenges. Transparency is great but this is about actually taking charge, not just taking time to look at some financial spreadsheets that management was nice enough to share with you.
Together the zingermans companies employ more than. Zingermans cofounder ari weinzweig is a prolific writer. Elnian gilbert is a keynote speaker and trainer for zingtrain, part of zingermans community of business in ann arbor, mi. Dec 01, 2004 after purchasing zingerman s guide to good eating, a wonderfully informative book about cheese, bread, olive oil, chocolate and many other artisan foods, i had high hopes for this book. Another way we help people have the information they need to make good decisions is through open book management, which zingermans began practicing in the mid1990s. International directory of company histories dictionary. Heres what you can learn from lapsed anarchist ari weinzweig. Zingermans is a community of eight foodrelated businesses all located in the ann arbor, mi area. Everyone who works with zingermans, whether at the delicatessen, bakehouse, or elsewhere, is a lover of food and dedicated to their craft. Zingermans was in the top 10% amongst companies that practiced open book. Openbook finance is a management philosophy often lauded for. Enjoy the nuggets of wisdom, techniques, tips, and insights weve gathered from sharing the zingerman s unique approach to business for over 20 years. This article on zingermans openbook themed seminars and guidance. The conference consists of sessions, keynote speakers and workshops that are specifically targeted to each phase of openbook management.
Zingermans approach to bringing finance to the front line. Giving employees skin in the game journal of accountancy. Zingermans deli zingermans deli best ann arbor restaurant. Management lessons from zingermans ceo ari weinzweig lean blog. A lapsed anarchist s approach to building a great business zingerman s guide to good leading. Zingtrain zingerman s training 3728 plaza dr ann arbor mi 48108. Meetings are a regular event for every establishment that has the zingermans name.
In addition, the management style and culture that spurred this expansion has itself found a market in the form of zingtrain, which provides customer service training, seminars and consulting for a wide range of businesses, many outside the food industry. Zingerman s guide to good leading, part 3 leading the life you want to lead part 3 continues to share the secrets that have helped take zingerman s from a 25seat, 4person start up to a nationally. While that is certainly true, at its core, open book management is inviting everybody to come in and help make the decisions that run the business. Countereconomic coalitions that would practise shared design and open book management could obtain benefits in mutual coordination outside of the classic cash nexus.
As cfo, tom has championed open book management and taken the lead on educating staff about the financial ins and outs of the business. Zingermans ari weinzweig on changing beliefs and building. We joined the open book management session at the zingerman s roadhouse. From the moment someone engages us about a keynote, she works with them to find the best speaker for their event and manages the. Charting a partnership path to ownership, the pair allows employees to forge the businesses of their dreams while benefiting the greater zingermans community of businesses.
Zingermans on empowering frontline staff to make better. Case studies the great game of business the great game of. How do you build a culture of creativity and trust. Open book management realizations, recognitions and relearnings on open book management. Zingtrains free webinar a favorite tool to greet customers. Everyone in the zcob is responsible for the financial performance of the organization. What owners need to know about openbook management forbes. Mar 02, 2012 out of his first book, building a great business a lapsed anarchists approach to building a great business management principles from zingermans, ari shared his 12 natural laws of business, which ill comment on here. Paul saginaw and ari weinzweig are best known for zingermans delicatessen, the cult favorite deli in ann arbor, michigan. A lapsed anarchists approach to managing ourselves. Mara is a onewoman speakers bureau for the organization. Zingtrain, 3728 plaza drive, suite 5, ann arbor, mi 48108.
If youre not familiar with the name, fasten your seatbeltsthis company went from zero to 60 thats million with a solid practice of open book management coupled with a widearcing business plan, called 2020 vision, incorporating the zingermans guiding principals see sidebar, bottom. Stacks three primary rules to this management practice are. Gift boxes of bread, cheese, pastry, olive oil, vinegar and more. Yes, you read that hes a lapsed anarchist something he describes in his book. Dec 08, 2016 later this fall zingermans will open its latest venture, a traditional korean restaurant. Rapid financial results and lasting cultural change it was zingermans cofounder ari weinzweig who first pushed the business to open its books to its employees. Zingtrain zingermans training 3728 plaza dr ann arbor. On the positive side, it contains many excellent ideas on providing truly distinguished customer service, which are presented in a succinct, easytoread style.
Later this fall zingermans will open its latest venture, a traditional korean restaurant. Zingermans unique combination of open book management, coupled with the application of a mission statement and formal guiding principles, gives an excellent opportunity for an indepth examination of how these elements combine, create a particular corporate culture, and focus on human capital to increase business success weinzweig, 2010. Frank began as zingermans bakehouse retail manager and, in her sixyear tenure, grew annual sales by 40 percent. Zingerman s is a collection of delirelated businesses based on great service. The denison consulting group, who know a thing or two about the organizational culture of successful business, concluded in a 2010 survey that. Zingermans community of businesses 422 detroit street ann arbor, michigan 48104 u. Zingermans training resources and classes shop zingtrain. Zingermans announces a new managing partner dbusiness. Zingermans ari weinzweig on changing beliefs and building a. After purchasing zingerman s guide to good eating, a wonderfully informative book about cheese, bread, olive oil, chocolate and many other artisan foods, i had high hopes for this book. In his career hes written about great food, great service, and even great bacon.
Michigan ross case study shows effectiveness of openbook finance. Zingermans was inducted into the great game of business hall of fame in 2007. We provide a dazzling environment for our customers and staff. The macayos familyowned restaurant tradition began in 1946, when woody and victoria johnson opened their first cafe in phoenix. Ari weinzweign founded zingermans was founded as a small corner delicatessen in ann arbor, michigan. Tour zingermans deli and zingermans bakehouse for a behindthescenes peek. Zingermans was founded in march 1982 by ari weinzweig and paul saginaw as a small corner delicatessen in ann arbor, michigan. Great place to learn about open book management and servant leadership. Cofounder ari weinzweig defines open book management as a system in which everyone in the organization takes responsibility for the effective operation of the business. Apr 18, 2017 this article on zingermans openbook themed seminars and guidance. Elnian spends her time teaching practical, downtoearth business systems.