
The No. 18 — a Georgia Reuben — is a tribute to Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Mark Antonation

Luke Hendricks (left) and Anthony Lygizos are ready to welcome sandwich lovers to Leven Deli.
Mark Antonation
Lygizos explains that staff and customers are equally important to him, so he and Hendricks traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., to go through ZingTrain, an extensive customer service and business training program created by Zingerman's. "We firmly believe we're in the people business," Lygizos states, "so our people should be our biggest expenditure."
As part of that mission, the owners paid careful attention to the layout of the kitchen and restaurant to maximize efficiency and make working in the space easier for a small but dedicated staff. You won't find high-tech order kiosks or a burdensome self-service model, but instead employees who are trained to look out for customer needs and who are compensated based on a "thriving wage" scale, as Lygizos calls it.
Other features of the deli include a bike-up order window where cyclists will be able to order breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. on weekdays, a soon-to-be-added front patio with seating for 25 to 35 guests, and a small bar selection of beer, wine and cocktails.
Leven Deli will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Visit the deli's website for more details.