Zoup’s on

Thursday, June 27 — Mark and Sue Rantz, who co-own downtown Lansing’s Zoup! restaurant, were named franchise owners of the year on Thursday.

In December 2010, the Rantzes both left corporate jobs in the St. Joseph area to open the Zoup! location at 214 S. Washington Square in downtown Lansing. Both are Michigan State University alumni. Mark Rantz said they had long-reserved a special place for Lansing in their hearts, so found that the restaurant wasn’t among Lansing’s listings, they decided to introduce it.

“We really appreciated the concept of Zoup!” Mark Rantz said. “It’s very cultural is about always being better, paying attention to the details and the customers. We love the food. We love the soup. But what we love most are all the things Zoup! stands for.”

The Rantzes’ restaurant was chosen from a pool of 53 locations throughout the Midwest and Canada. According to a release, they were given top honors for their dedication to customer service and high sales. Mark Rantz said that since they’ve been open, he and Sue have made operational improvements as they’ve learned how to be more efficient.

Zoup! features over 100 soups in its rotation, along with salads, sandwiches and wraps. There are more than 50 locations in 12 states and Ontario.