Eat Your Fill: Zehnder’s Chicken Dinners, Frankenmuth: 1929-2020s

Two things come to mind when you hear the name Frankenmuth: Christmas and chicken. This is where those words literally come together, 365 days of the year.

It has been a number of years since I had a chicken dinner in Frankenmuth. Take your pick: eat at Zehnder’s or the Bavarian Inn...either way, you’re gonna get the same delicious servings, sides, desserts, and all.

The Zehnder family handles both restaurants and have been feeding people from around the world since 1929. It is not only the family tradition but the town tradition as well.

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In 1929 the Zehnder family bought a former hotel in Frankenmuth and transformed it into their own unique restaurant. Their famous chicken dinners really took off when the first Mother’s Day (since their opening) began sparking talk about this awesome restaurant, creating a specific travel destination and beginning a tradition that hasn’t let up yet.

As for the chicken? Even though it’s been a few years since I’ve had the dinner, I remember it well. Lightly breaded, crispy, and mouth-watering enough to make you salivate years afterward. The dinners themselves seem to have no end, arriving in waves: the sides, the soup, the noodles, and the chicken, followed by mashed potatoes, dressing, and cranberry relish.

With more than 1,000 seats in both Zehnder’s and the Bavarian Inn, you’re practically guaranteed to become one of the millions who eat there each year.

Staff servers wear traditional wear, Christmas decorations surround you all year long, and the peaked roofs and woodwork give you the feeling of visiting a European village.

Not a bad idea for a weekend destination. Don’t plan anything else on the day you go to Frankenmuth – you won’t have time or desire to do anything else. As mentioned on a favorable website, “While other restaurants chase trends, Zehnder’s embraces its timelessness.”

So very true.