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Good For The Soul
L
Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist
Zoup! celebrates
20 years of serving
the ultimate
comfort food.
Richard Simtob and Eric Ersher
ike so many other success
stories that occur during
the passing of time, this,
too, has made huge strides from
its original simple idea.
Because boyhood friends Eric
Ersher and David Elias had the
dream and a wonderful idea,
Zoup! became a reality … and is
celebrating its 20th anniversary
today, Sept. 27.
Eric and David were selling
spice and soup mixes to res-
taurants … Spending much of
their time in restaurant kitch-
ens caused them to think that
truly good, full-bodied soup
with numerous styles of tasteful
variations was difficult to find …
Thus, came the sudden electric
bulb lighting of their idea … Why
not a restaurant that specialized
solely in variations of truly good
soup?
They lost little time in rent-
ing the kitchen of a closed down
General Motors auto plant just
north of the Eastern Market and
worked with a chef they had
hired to develop various soup
recipes.
The first Zoup! restaurant was
born … which is still there …
in the Franklin Plaza Shopping
Center on Northwestern
Highway, just north of 12 Mile,
Southfield.
While it took years to create
a profitable business model, the
success of their first restaurant
proved what they had suspected
… There was demand for really
good and different styles of soup.
Additional locations were
opened … and, in 2003, their first
franchised restaurant opened
in Ann Arbor … Richard Simtob
joined Zoup! in 2010, bringing
extensive franchising experience
as partner and director, integral
to the growth of Zoup!
When first opened in South-
field, only bowls of soup were
sold with a big hunk of fresh-
baked bread … Today, 12 variet-
ies of soups are rotated daily,
with hundreds of proprietary
recipes … but now also made-
to-order salads and sandwiches
… This past May, a new menu
category was added, Power
Bowls … with three varieties,
Kale Chicken, Citrus Garbanzo
and Fiesta Chicken … Each is a
meal-in-a-bowl made fresh with
generous servings of nutrient-
rich kale and toppings … Soups
include customer favorites like
Chicken Pot Pie, Lobster Bisque,
etc., including low-cal, low-fat,
vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free
options and more … crab and
mushroom chowder, pepperoni
pizza, chicken chile, etc.
With colder weather on the
way, folks will undoubtedly be
clamoring for huge favorites like
the Brewhouse Cheddar soup
and many more.
That simple thought by two
boyhood friends has become
the leading soup-differentiated
fast-casual restaurant operation,
boasting more than 90 locations
in the United States and Canada
… Yes, dreams do come true …
again … Zoup! proves it.
READER MINI REVIEW …
From Jon Isenberg … “I couldn’t
agree more with what Gary
Cochran sent you. My wife,
Lorrie, and I have gone to Fork n’
Pint on Cass Elizabeth Road in
Waterford numerous times and
have never been disappointed.
“Our recent visit proved to be
still another fabulous meal. We
started with the Brussels sprouts
appetizer and enjoyed it greatly.
The combination of honey and
siracha gave it a sweet and tangy
flavor. Our main courses were
again wonderful. Fresh Walleye
and Chips, grilled salmon, Bacon,
Tomato Mac and the Pulled
Brisket Dinner. My pulled brisket
was outstanding. It was tender,
well-seasoned and melted in my
mouth. It was about three pieces
of brisket served in a barbecue
sauce on a slice of bread. I had
it served along with two sides,
the Roasted Root Vegetables and
Grilled Veggie Skewer.
“We have visited the Fork
n’ Pint at least six times in the
past nine months. The food and
service are always good and well
worth the price. We can certainly
understand why Gary and his
wife rave so much about Fork n’
Pint.”
REARVIEW MIRROR …
Seeing customers doing double
takes at Jacque’s on Telegraph,
Bloomfield Hills, when they saw
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September 27 • 2018
jn
N. PETER ANTONE
JEFFREY S. PITT
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57
Danny’s email address is
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.
IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM
@]pflXi\efkn\Xi`e^`k¿j\cc`k%%%
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248-644-8565
two former sports greats work-
ing there … Dennis McLain,
one-time 31-game pitching win-
ner great for the World Series
champions 1968 Detroit Tigers,
as Jacque’s organist … and Leon
Spinks, who became the World
Boxing Champion in 1978 by
defeating Mohammed Ali, greet-
ing people at the door and work-
ing as Jacque’s bouncer.
GRAD TIDINGS … Oak Park
High’s 1969 class is looking for
grads to help out on the 50-year
reunion at Detroit Marriott, W.
Big Beaver Road, Troy … July 6,
2019 … Contact Ken Korotkin,
kenk@getkig.com or call (248)
258-4936 to get more informa-
tion or to stay updated on the
reunion.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE …
Abe goes to see his doctor for a
check-up and comes home with
sad news … Sarah asked him
what the doctor said … “That I
have tuberculosis and have to
die.” … Sarah calls the doctor
and says, “That’s terrible! How
long has he got?” … The doctor
replies, “A long time. But I told
him he has too big a tuchus (rear
end) and has to diet.”
CONGRATS … To Louise
Abrams on her birthday … To
Dino Mitropoulos on his birth-
day … To Sandie Resnick on her
birthday …To Neal Rubin on his
birthday. •
2141080
www.antone.com or email at law@antone.com
8.JMF3E 4UFt'BSNJOHUPO)JMMT .*
Ph: 248-406-4100
Fax: 248-406-4101
jn
September 27 • 2018
57