Zehnder´s

Zehnder´s is a Michigan historical marker in Frankenmuth, Saginaw County, dedicated 2006.

730 South Main Street, Frankenmuth

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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.

TodayHistorical map

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University Library, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Historical maps covering this location

1853 · Map of the surveyed part of Michigan (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1854 · A map of the surveyed part of Michigan / by John Farmer ; engraved by S. Stiles & Co. (University Library, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
1855 · The Western Tourist And Emigrant's Guide (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1873 · Michigan. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1874 · Colton's Michigan (1874) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

Map of the surveyed part of Michigan, 1853, covering the location of Zehnder´s, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Map of the surveyed part of Michigan, 1853, covering this location. Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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Marker data: Michigan History Center
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