Natural.

Ari Weinzweig explains his Natural Laws ...

This is exactly what the Natural Laws have given me. They offer me a frame through which I can resist the temptation to be totally taken in by “the incident.” Instead of getting pulled in as most leaders are to focus singly on a new product, a new hire, a big sale, or some crisis of the moment, they help me to take a mental step back to see things in a different, more holistic way. When in doubt, I pull out the list of the 24 Natural Laws and see what it tells me about what’s going on, and where I need to adjust or change what we’re doing.

Waiting.

Line culture at Franklin ...

There are discussions on websites like Chowhound on the subject of selling spots in line. How do you feel about that?

That's so wrong. Wow, that's wrong. We have this customer who's the first to get here every Saturday. He comes out with his laptop and a lawn chair at about 7:45, and it keeps getting earlier and earlier every week. He lives in California, but he flies in every Friday night to see his wife. He comes in and gets enough food to last the week.

He came in one day and told me, "Last weekend, this guy waiting was talking about selling his spot. The line shut him down pretty quickly, saying they'd beat the shit out of him and his friend."

What if people are actually doing it.

[Laughs a ton] If we knew who they were, we'd tell them it wasn't cool. There are so many people who come wait, have fun, make friends, eat together. A lot of people show up on mornings and start seeing the same people. They get to know each other. They bring each other bagels.

It's kind of like a rock and roll parking lot or tailgating. It's a scene. The great thing about it is that it weeds out the impatient people.

We've been putting out a sold out sign maybe thirty minutes before we open. People show up at like 7AM and bring lawn chairs and ice chests full of beer. There's like 200 people out there before we open.

Positive.

Ari Weinzweig on deep gratitude, positive energy, and working at the “one task” for 41 years ...

One of the people who mattered was a man by the name of Ashok Patel. Ashok died recently at the age of 85. I haven’t seen Ashok in ages—he bussed tables at the Deli in the 80s and into the early 90s—but I cried when I read his obituary last week. It lists working at Zingerman’s as one of the key points of life. Being included there, to be honest, means as much to me as a James Beard Award. I will never forget Ashok. Not because he was the greatest busser, but simply because he was himself, he worked hard, he cared, and was probably one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Ashok Patel will not show up in the New York Times or make the network news. But here at Zingerman’s, he mattered. And Ashok believing that he mattered is, I believe, a big part of what makes the poetry of Zingerman’s what it is.

Donald Hall wrote that “One day, of course, no one will remember what I remember.” Which is most certainly true. We can, though, at least optimistically imagine what we would like others to recall long after we ourselves are gone. Hall, who graced the planet with his creative presence for 88 years, wrote this piece later in his life that I hope will be true for the ZCoB:

Here, among the thirty thousand days of a long life, a single day stands still: The sun shines, it is raining; we sleep, we make love, we plant a tree, we walk up and down eating lunch. 

Through a common employer, I had the honor to meet and learn from Ari many times in my former life in food service.  He's the most positive person I've ever met, which, I'm certain, is the biggest reason for his success.  

Rigour.

St. John's Rules ...

"We just quietly go about our business," says Gulliver, coffee slopping over the side of his cup as he slaps the table. "We don't do vision." Henderson contemplatively sips his mid-morning madeira. "Yes, and there's still lots to do," he says. "There's always tweaking to be done." Better to list the things they don't believe in than those they do. Set menus? Not even when business is bad. Posh wines from around the world? France will suffice. Bawling out the staff? Not necessary. The lure of MasterChef? No, thanks. Finally, they come up with a word: rigour. "There is a rigour here," says Gulliver. "You have to be quite stubborn to do something like this."

CONNECT

Servant.

A former boss of mine and the original owner of Katzinger's Delicatessen in Columbus, explains the deli's approach to servant leadership ...

The whole discussion is worth the time, but thoughts on leadership begin at 19:18.

Beliefs.

In 1982, Ari Weinzweig, co-founded Zingerman’s Delicatessen with a $20,000 bank loan and a Russian History degree from the University of Michigan. He opened the doors with two employees and a small selection of specialty foods and exceptional sandwiches. Today, Zingerman’s Delicatessen is a nationally renowned food icon and the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses has grown to 10 businesses with over 750 employees and over $55 million in annual revenue.

Ari discusses his latest book, The Power of Beliefs in Business, which is a 600-page culmination of three years of research and reflection on how beliefs are at the core of everything we do and how what we believe will significantly alter our outcomes of success or failure. Ari discusses the secret to great sandwiches, how to cultivate hope in business, forming positive beliefs and the growing pains of the customer service industry.