Zehnder’s

Frankenmuth’s first restaurant, the Exchange Hotel, opened on this site in 1856. In 1900 John Hubinger built the New Exchange Hotel here. William Zehnder, Sr. and his wife, Emilie, acquired the restaurant in 1928. They remodeled the hotel in an early American theme and opened on Mother’s Day 1929, when they served 312 family-style chicken dinners for one dollar each. Using Emilie’s recipes, they built the business around the Sunday chicken dinner served seven days a week. Led by William and Emilie’s son Edwin (1920-1998), Zehnder’s became a Michigan institution and one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations, leading to its recognition as one of the nation’s largest independent restaurants. Between 1929 and 2005 more than 26 million people dined at Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth.

Frankenmuth, Michigan · United States