Next time you come by be sure to take a second to appreciate the big neon sign above the front door.

The sign was crafted for us by award-winning neon maker, Mark Chalou of Ann Arbor’s Mr. Neon, using hard-to-find antique hand drawn glass tubes that Mark found in an old glass shop on the East Side. The glass was produced in Detroit in 1953 by the Eureka Neon Company. As they do with artisan foods, the old methods leave the make for a slightly bit more variability in the neon – it’s a touch thinner in some spots and slightly thicker in others. The variation gives the neon a unique illumination quality that you won’t find in modern machine made glass.

Of particular interest the ruby red – the “Zingerman’s” part of the sign – actually has real gold flecks in it to add luster to the light it gives. The “Roadhouse” is in the hard to find, old-style, cobalt blue. The “Really Good American Food” is also in cobalt blue but with red neon gas run through it creating the magenta light that it shows.

Check it out – you really can see the difference.