Welcome Back ...

In case you were wondering, which I am certain you do, because there hasn't been a blog post for the last four days, we weren't working, so there was nothing to report. E! and I had traveled to Michigan for a long weekend to celebrate her Dad's 70th birthday.

We had a very good time (thank you Pat and Tom). But as you may have suspected, we can't go anywhere without thinking about work and Gunk Haus. On Saturday we went to Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan for those of you who care, and Zingerman's, which is what we were interested in.

Zingerman's started out as a deli, and over the years expanded to have a bakery, a creamery, a restaurant, and a coffee house. This kind of vertical business model is something we aspire to in the long run. Now, I say we, but I have to clarify something: The mastermind behind Gunk Haus is, and will always be, my beloved wife Elizabeth. She has a great sense for business, which I am completely devoid of.

Aside from an admirable business model, Zingerman's also has a great attitude towards customer service. Walk into any of their stores, and you will be amazed by the friendliness and helpfulness of their staff. At the deli we had no problem getting ahold of a manager, talking extensively to one of their sales staff about cheese (including free samples), beer, business, and more. At the bakery we got to talk to one of their bakers, quizzing him about pretzel tips and tricks. At the creamery we talked more cheese and business with one of their very knowledgeable sales staff.

As I said, it was a great trip, and now we're back at Gunk Haus, getting it ready for business.

Dirk