More Grocery Stores Doubling as Restaurants

Sept 26, 2008, 12:31 PM ET

According to a survey in Nation's Restaurant News in 2007, consumers are more likely to visit a store for a meal than a casual-dining chain, The Columbus Dispatch reports. Specifically, said 87 percent of respondents, better choices are found at supermarkets than at quick-service restaurants.

"Customers are always telling us they're looking for quick, easy dinner solutions," said Amy Barlow, a spokeswoman for Kroger.

The grocery chain responded by launching the Bistro at the Brewer's Yard in the Kroger store that opened in the Brewery District in 2006 in Ohio.

Customers can pick from a variety of ready-made foods -- roast pork, stuffed turkey breast, rice pilaf -- as well as made-to-order sandwiches.

Yet, instead of getting the food to go, they eat it in the store, at bistro tables near the entrance.

"We have a huge amount of people who come in, sit down and eat," Barlow said. "It's like a restaurant."

The in-store restaurant proved so popular that Kroger added bistros to stores in Powell and Athens when they were remodeled this year.

At the Brewer's Yard, the highest volume of sales comes at lunchtime because of the offices nearby. On a recent Wednesday, the store sold 230 lunches between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Brunch on weekends is also taking off. Another popular offering is the "At 5," where customers can enjoy wine and food pairing stations as well as live music the first and third Fridays of every month.

The Powell and Athens stores have bigger dinner crowds, Barlow says.

At Whole Foods in Dublin, different in-store restaurants have different followings, according to Angel Gravitt, marketing specialist.

The trattoria, a semicircular bar between the wine aisles and cheese cases, features made-to-order salads and pasta. The brasserie, part of the store's extensive food court but with its own seating, features diner-style food.

"I really like the fries," said Wiline Pangle, who was dining at the brasserie with her husband, Kevin.

The Worthington couple said they often eat from the other places in the food court, which features everything from pizza and soup and a salad bar that takes up two aisles, to items from the Global Cuisine steam table that might include sesame chicken, brown basmati rice and spicy ginger green beans as well as macaroni and cheese and meatloaf. The items are priced by weight and can be enjoyed on real plates (though with plastic cutlery) at the tables and booths in the front of the store.

"We took a cue from our friends in Europe," said Gravitt, about decisions they made when designing the store that opened in 2005.

Harrod's in London, for example, offers numerous venues for in-store dining, from tea and pastries to full-scale grill and oyster bars.

The in-store restaurant concept isn't limited to chains. The Hills Market in Worthington Hills features the Veranda, where customers can enjoy made-to-order salads, sandwiches and specials during the summer.

The Veranda officially closes each year on Labor Day, but the covered outdoor space is still used for wine tastings, catered events and, coming soon, Chili on the Veranda, on Fridays and Saturdays.

In the end, customers don't seem to mind the concept of dining in at grocery stores.

"It's unique," Kevin Pangle said.

Added his wife, "But we like the quality."

More Grocery Stores Doubling as Restaurants

Sept 26, 2008, 12:31 PM ET