Bottom Line:
The SoupMan franchise relies heavily on the notoriety brought to Al Yeganeh as the real life soup man on whom the Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" was based. Unfortunately, the franchise’s reliance on the famous episode creates an expectation that is not met by the expensive soup offered.Description:
- Wrap around line at counter
- Cup portions of soup range from $4.35 through $6.96
- Wraps, paninis and sandwiches also offered
Background:
Although the SoupMan in Birmingham is the only restaurant of its kind in the Metro Detroit Area, it is a franchise. Its marketing is based in part on the New York soup baron on whom the classic Seinfeld episode was based. If you’ll remember, the Seinfeld “Soup Nazi” made soup so delicious that there was a constant line of customers down the sidewalk in front of his storefront restaurant. Not only were the customers willing to withstand a long wait for the infamous soup, they were also forced to conform to a set of ordering “rules” that, if disobeyed, could ban them forever from the store. The Soup Nazi of the episode is so memorable, that “The Soup Nazi” has its own entry in Wikipedia.org
The real life man behind the episode, Al Yeganeh, opened Soup Kitchen International in New York in 1984. The Franchise is based on his success, as well as his arbitrary and stern manner. Even so, his picture isn’t the only one to grace the Birmingham restaurant’s counter. A framed picture of the actor who played the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld, Larry Thomas, is also prominently displayed.
The Experience:
While the “rules” for ordering are listed in the restaurant, they are not in practice enforced for either efficiency or entertainment. That’s not to say the counter service was particularly fast or courteous. In fact, Yeganeh would undoubtedly be less than pleased that it was the employees of the restaurant who slowed down the ordering process. Neither helpful nor efficient, the counter staff disappeared entirely for several minutes at a time with no explanation.
The Soup:
As played up in the franchise’s marketing, the larger-than-life soup character in Seinfeld creates a larger-than-life soup expectation. Certainly, the soup will inspire standing in long lines and suffering “terrorist” behavior – the real life moniker given to Yeganeh by his customers. Disappointedly, the soup was very average. The Mushroom Barley tasted like it was made with powdered stock rather than the real thing. The Crab Bisque, a house specialty, tasted like a highly-peppered chowder rather than a cream-based bisque – although it did have a couple of large pieces of crab in it. Maybe Elaine really did take off with the SoupMan’s coveted recipes.
The Sandwich:
The wraps were the real surprise at the restaurant. While expensive, the Chicken Caesar Wrap was filled to the brim with white-meat chicken. Considering it is a “Caesar” wrap, it probably should have some lettuce but was actually all meat. It was, however, delicious.
The Atmosphere:
Nicer than a Subway, but falling short of a Panera Bread, the restaurant does have some decoration that goes beyond a fast-food establishment. It’s seating, however, falls short of providing any kind of dining experience. The area is small, the tables close together and the ambiance far from that offered by its main competitor, Zoup, or even that offered by some of the new McDonalds around town.
