Photo by George Mahe
What’s the status of the food hall opening inside the Schnucks in Kirkwood? —Sally K., Kirkwood
Photo by George Mahe
The three-restaurant food hall, which was part of a remodel of the Schnucks at 10233 Manchester in Kirkwood, opened September 27.
Yesterday, Schnucks announced the completion of the project, which focuses on “fresh choices,” including a new produce department, a make-it-yourself nut butter kiosk, more grab-and-go eats, and a food hall featuring satellite locations of three popular St. Louis restaurants: The Greek Kitchen, The Shaved Duck, and Seoul Taco. The three satellite restaurants inside Schnucks each have service counter and share a common seating area.
Over the years, Schnucks has supported area restaurants by carrying more and more of their products, including salads, sauces, grab-and-go foods, barbecue, frozen entrées, ice cream, cookies, and pizza. The food hall concept is the St. Louis–based grocer's latest example of its focus on local products. (The Kirkwood remodel also features an Arch Apparel section, which sells St. Louis–inspired streetwear.)
Photo by George Mahe
Seoul Taco will offer the same Korean-Mexican fusion menu as the one available at its brick-and-mortar locations, according to owner David Choi. “We’ve already had a great response with grab-and-go items in more than a dozen Schnucks stores," Choi previously told SLM. “They’ve done a great job taking the pulse of St. Louis and thinking out of the box with this most recent remodel.”
This particular food hall concept offers customers a one-stop shop for groceries and chef-quality food—without having to make another stop at a restaurant. “Shoppers can pick up their groceries and something hot, made to order for lunch or dinner, every day of the week,” says Choi, who adds that the idea's already been “very well-received.”
Photo by George Mahe
Lisa Nicholas, who owns The Greek Kitchen with husband Joe, is quick to mention the dine-in possibilities as well. “With more people working from home, the lunch hour is not just 12–1 p.m. anymore. Today, lunch is whenever you want it to be. We’re open all day here, serving restaurant-quality food in an informal atmosphere.”
As a first-time collaborator with Schnucks, The Greek Kitchen offers a menu including gyros, falafel wraps, souvlaki, spanakopita, salads, hummus, Avgolemono soup, and baklava. “Like other restaurants, we get so busy on Friday and Saturday night inside our restaurant that we have trouble filling pick up orders,” says Nicholas. “Now there’s another option. As our customers see us at Schnucks and stop by to say hello, we remind them of that.”
Photo by George Mahe
Shaved Duck owner Ally Nisbet previously told SLM that the restaurant had been working with Schnucks over the past year, offering pulled pork, ribs, and sides at a few of its locations. The Shaved Duck is now smoking on site its signature cherry and hickory barbecue: burnt ends, brisket, ribs, and seasonal offerings that the restaurant's developed exclusively for Schnucks.
"Everything will be as fresh and tasty as it can get," says Nisbet, adding that the new concept has growth potential across the board. “The cross-promotion works for all of us."
While the idea of partner restaurants is new to Schnucks, the idea of in-store restaurants is not. Schnucks opened its first snack bar in 1958, which evolved into the railroad-themed Schnuck’s Station restaurants, the last of which closed in 2005. In 2008, two restaurants (The Marketplace Bistro and The Grille at Schnucks) opened inside a newly remodeled store in Town and Country. The next year, a new mega store in Des Peres featured (among other amenities) a walk-in beer cooler, a walk-in wine and cheese cooler, a Kaldi’s coffee shop, and sit-down counter and café Fresco.
“Working from the ground up allowed us to explore a lot more possibilities,” says Schnucks senior communications specialist Paul Simon. Looking forward, he says the food hall prototype, if successful, might be incorporated into future remodels, opening the door to using different local restaurants in different neighborhoods.
The food hall at Kirkwood Schnucks is open from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. daily.
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