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The Grocery Store Wars
With a sudden surge of upscale grocers hungry for your attention (and money), shopping for zucchini may never be the same again. We rate the best and pass along the savings.
Long-gone are the simple salad days of upscale epicurean shops. Now they’re more like wilted-endive-with-melon-Caribbean-splash salad days.
Meaning, everybody who’s anybody in the grocery business has added a gourmet touch or two. We used to be happy with the staples (bread, milk, and eggs). But now savvy shoppers, whose palates have been educated by Dallas fine-dining scene, demand more from their local grocers. More manchego! Regular rakkyo! And pronto with that posole, amigo!
Not that you’ll hear big-business grocers complaining. If Eatzi “the local king of gourmet-to-go “has taught us anything, it’s that Dallas shoppers love to linger. Toss in a heady aroma and some free food samples, and we’ll stay for days.
Hearing the cha-ching of the register, it should come as no surprise that grocers are rushing to add bigger wine departments and stock up on exotic veggies, especially with new-kid-on-the-block Central Market breathing down their smart, white smocks. The recent Austin export has become the epicurean toast of the town, with its dizzying displays of gourmet delicacies. Every new store—one each in Plano, Fort Worth, and Dallas “has been met with long lines and boffo business.
Kroger and Whole Foods certainly noticed. Kroger’s Mockingbird Station superstore”only two miles south of the new Dallas Central Market “has evolved into Kroger Signature, with revamped departments and a spiffy face lift. Meanwhile, Whole Foods is targeting a more affluent variation of its traditional audience (the organic-food fanatics) with its latest store, strategically located on the edges of Highland Park and Oak Lawn.
Local-favorite Tom Thumb is certainly no stranger to the upscale-grocery market. Its Simon David chain has been extolling the advantages of brie over Velveeta since Tom Thumb bought the small chain in 1963. The new Flagship stores are modeled after the only remaining (and tiny) Dallas Simon David on Inwood Road near the Park Cities. But the Flagships are bigger in size and scope, all the better to compete with such behemoths as Central Market.
So the gauntlet is thrown down, the battle begun. And French loaves are drawn in hungry anticipation. Who will win amid Dallas gourmet grocers? The grizzled Texas veteran? The young, eager soldier? Or the free-lovin hippie over in the muesli section chanting, Make lunch, not war? Before choosing sides, it kind of helps to know who’s fighting.
CENTRAL MARKET
Few things were as eagerly awaited as the July 17 opening”the first in Dallas”of this legend-in-the-making. The 75,000-square-foot complex is a foodie’s dream and a parent’s nightmare. (Where’s little Billy? Out of sight and probably bobbing for lobsters.)
How big is big? Check out these numbers:
More than 600 employees at the Dallas location.
700 varieties of fresh produce, 150 of which are organic.
600 different cheeses.
80 varieties of mustard.
Eighty types of mustard? Is that really necessary? Founder Charles Butt thinks so. Owned by San Antonio-based H-E-B, Central Market was designed with the cook in mind. There are no mops. No detergent. Just food that can’t be found anywhere else.
It seems like the formula is paying off. The new Dallas store is the seventh Central Market and the 300th store opening in H-E-B’s corporate history.
WHOLE FOODS MARKET
Another recent opening but certainly not a stranger to Dallas, Whole Foods new 32,000-square-foot Highland Park shop is in stark contrast to its older store on Lower Greenville. Founded in 1980 in Austin, Whole Foods has become the world’s largest natural and organic supermarket chain, with more than 135 stores.
The Greenville Avenue store “still a haven for East Dallas health nuts” has become dingy and crowded over the years. The new Highland Park location is bright and cheerful, full of high, exposed ceilings; warm neutral tones; and plenty of kale for the whole Park Cities family and their platinum cards.
Though the emphasis is still on healthy living, gourmet items and fast food are more prevalent in the Highland Park Whole Foods than in other locations. And, of course, Whole Foods cheerful staff is still as helpful and knowledgeable as ever. What wine goes best with bean curd? They’ll know.
SIMON DAVID/TOM THUMB FLAGSHIP
Think of Simon David as the little upscale grocer that could.
When Dallas-born Tom Thumb decided to convert the remaining Simon Davids to the Flagship concept three years ago, the tiny Park Cities-area location remained unchanged, buoyed by a fanatically loyal clientele and a reputation for being the store to go to for trendy, must-have food items since its opening in 1961.
But times have changed, and Simon David’s inventory isn’t as one-of-a-kind as it used to be. What hasn’t changed, thank goodness, is the store’s cozy ambience (thanks to a noticeable face lift), its neighborhood appeal, and that special something that super-sized grocers long to find: personality. Simon David’s gourmet leanings can still be seen in Tom Thumb’s large-scale, more moderate Flagship stores, as can its spirit.
KROGER SIGNATURE
Ohio-based Kroger looked over its shoulder, saw Central Market just down the block, and decided to strike back. So now we have Kroger Signature “the new, large-scale concept store that is starting to take root in the Dallas area.
Taking a cue from other local grocers, Kroger remodeled an existing space—the site of the old Dr Pepper bottling plant at Mockingbird and Greenville “and transformed it into the ideal hybrid: practical items and gourmet food, all under one roof.
That means you can not only get your shampoo and light bulbs but also your Gruy’re and French chardonnay, all in one trip to the store. Kroger Signature’s gourmet inventory doesn’t have the breadth of other upscale grocers. Rather, it focuses on providing a well-rounded shopping experience in spacious surroundings. It’s more like a traditional grocery store than its competition, albeit one with $100 cabernets and a Chinese takeout counter.
So who’s the winner? Judge for yourself. We evaluated the goods and services of each of these upscale retailers”and checked their prices, as well. Click the button below to view our chart in PDF format. Draw your own conclusions. We believe that increased competition can only mean one thing: a better shopping climate for Dallas foodies. And, apparently, a lot more mustard.
