If you stop by Downtown Lansing’s
Zoup at noon on a weekday, you'd never believe the restaurant has only been open for five weeks.
"We’ve already developed a lot of repeat customers," says Mark Rantz, 51, who owns the new Zoup location along with his wife, Sue. "We have people who order every day."
Rantz credits part of the success of the café, which now employs 18, to the reputation the Michigan-based Zoup franchise has enjoyed from its popular locations in Grand Rapids
and the Detroit area.
Though the Rantz’s demographic research that showed Zoup would succeed in Lansing turned out to be corrent, Mark believes the biggest factor in their early success is much simpler than market studies.
"You always have to start with the soup," he says. "We feature twelve fresh soups and we rotate those soups on a daily basis."
In addition to being fresh, Zoup’s signature soups are also unique, with the
daily menu featuring such recipes as "Pumpkin Pie Bisque," "Cheeseburger Royale," and the popular "Chicken Pot Pie."
Rantz adds that the Downtown Lansing business community has been just as welcoming to the new restaurant as his customers. Thanks to a conversation with
Downtown Lansing, Inc.'s director, Mindy Biladeau, the business was able to take advantage of the
Lansing Economic Development Corporation’s sign incentive program to create the first street-level, projecting sign in the Zoup franchise.
"Zoup has about 30 locations and they are just getting into some downtown areas," he says. "The sign that we created along with Zoup is now going to be used in all the downtown areas."
The new Zoup can be found at 214 S Washignton Square, as can Mark and Sue Rantz, who recently moved from St. Joseph to a loft in Downtown Lansing.
Source: Mark Rantz, Zoup
Writer: Natalie Burg, Interim News Editor
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