The Largest Family Restaurant In The US Can Seat 1,500 People — Here's Where To Find It

What's the biggest restaurant you've ever been to? Maybe you went to New York City and ate at that one giant Margaritaville in Times Square. Maybe you visited America's largest dim sum restaurant, not far outside Oakland in California. Or perhaps you've been to Zehnder's, the largest family restaurant in the U.S., sitting in Frankenmuth, Michigan, and partook in some delicious fried chicken.

The town of Frankenmuth, often called "Little Bavaria" for its German heritage, has a population of just over 5,000. You might not expect such a modest town to have a huge restaurant, but Zehnder's seats a whopping 1,500 people — that means almost a third of the population of Frankenmuth could fit inside.

The restaurant started life as the Exchange Hotel, which first opened in 1856. In 1927, it was purchased by William and Emilie Zehnder, who remodeled the exterior to resemble George Washington's home of Mount Vernon. After a great deal of success, the business expanded, buying a hotel across the street and transforming it into the Bavarian Inn — a canny business move, considering Frankenmuth's history with Germany. Today, Zehnder's encompasses a hotel and indoor water park; a food store and bakery; a golf course; and, of course, a giant restaurant.

Not unlike Shady Maple Smorgasbord, the largest buffet in America, Zehnder's specializes in hearty comfort food that sticks to your ribs. The star of the show is, generally speaking, fried chicken, whether you come at lunch or dinner. At lunch, you can enjoy two or three pieces of chicken, choosing between dark or white meat (or some combination of the two if you want variety) or a plate of sauteed chicken livers (an oft-overlooked part of the chicken); at dinner, you can order it as an entree or have all you care to eat as part of the Family Style Feast Dinner.

But the German theme isn't just for the Bavarian Inn, no siree bob. There are a few menu items that reflect the Germanic heritage of Frankenmuth and Zehnder's. You can get a pair of Bavarian sausages, a bratwurst and a bierwurst; a plate of chicken or veal schnitzel, topped with tomatoes and mushrooms; and, of course, an extensive roster of German beer to go with your meal. Whatever you choose to enjoy, you can take comfort in the fact that over a thousand people might be enjoying it at the same time as you.