Frankenmuth Is Michigan’s Bavarian Christmas Town All Year Long

For some restaurants, whether old or new, the reason for the season is not just to celebrate with food and drink — it’s to go wild over holiday decor. In this miniseries, we highlight the spots across the country for whom extra doesn’t begin to cover it when it comes to lights, tinsel, and Christmas spirit. Next up: the town of Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Drive north on I-75 from Detroit headed toward Flint, almost to Saginaw, and you’re bound to encounter the signage beckoning you to get off the freeway and make a most holy jolly detour. Frankenmuth is a town of around 5,000 known as Michigan’s Little Bavaria for the architecture resembling an Old World Alpine village that dominates the commercial downtown area. For Midwesterners near and far, Frankenmuth is the place to go for those of us whose idea of cheer is a Christmas town that keeps the holiday razzle dazzle alive all year ‘round.

Formerly settled by 15 German Lutheran missionaries looking to establish their way of life in Michigan (and convert the Indigenous community into Christianity), somewhere along the way, Frankenmuth became home to what its owners claim is the world’s largest Christmas store. The sprawling, 7.35-acre emporium features tens of thousands of ornaments from around the world, designed with every interest in mind, and draws even more visitors every year — all scrambling to fulfill their consumeristic wildest dreams. This time of year, expect long wait times at the cashier’s line and throngs of spectators.

Stroll along Main Street, and you’ll likely pick up on Hallmark vibes, with Christmas carols playing in the streets, multicolored strings of twinkle lights, horse-drawn carriage rides, as well as a food-lover’s array of Alpine inspired shops and cafes, including cheese mongers, sausage makers, and fudge shops whose heavenly chocolate aroma invites tourists in from the cold. Check out the German-themed River Place Shops, an outdoor mall featuring more than 40 shops, as well as family-friendly events, like the Frankenmuth Dog Bowl.

But the bulk of visitors to Frankenmuth are bound to stop by one of two of the most quintessential dining experiences one can have in town: a visit to one of the town’s beloved and iconic fried chicken houses. Both owned by (different branches of) the Zehnder family and situated directly across the street from each other sit Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth and the Bavarian Inn.

According to Restaurant Business, Zehnder’s and Bavarian Inn are two of the highest-volume independent restaurants in the country, with more than 1,000 seats in each; in 2022, the two collectively served some 1.8 million people.

The Fischer family opened the Fischer Hotel in Frankenmuth in 1888, and supposedly came up with the concept of the all-you-can-eat fried chicken menu. In 1928, William Zehnder, Sr. and his wife Emilie purchased a former hotel across the street from the Fischer Hotel and began serving overflow customers who couldn’t get into the Fischer Hotel restaurant, naming their establishment Zehnder’s. In 1950, the Zehnder family took over the Fischer Hotel from its original owners and today, both establishments are famous for their fried chicken dinners. The all-you-care-to-eat family-style menus are still available at both eateries featuring lightly-breaded crisp-skinned fried chicken, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry relish, cottage cheese, and a menagerie of other relishes and sides.

No matter where you eat in town, for many families, a trip to Frankenmuth is infused with a sense of nostalgia. ““Generation after generation come here,” current Zenhder’s CEO Al Zehnder, grandson of William, told Restaurant Business in 2022. Whether it’s the noodle soup served along with chicken dinner, or the costumed servers (colonial American style at Zehnder’s, German Bavarian at the Bavarian Inn), “they know what to expect.”

Fatima Syed is a freelance photographer and contributor to Eater Detroit.