LAKE MARY, Fla. — Restaurant concepts are in. At least that's what Publix is banking on, judging by its new store here, which places a heavy emphasis on restaurant-quality foods prepared by chefs.
With eight concepts — plus a coffee bar and a large seating section — in a 4,500-square-foot, food court-style area that doubles as the store's deli, shoppers can find a huge variety of prepared foods, ranging from comfort food favorites to gourmet options, and all with an upscale flair.
The approach represents a significant step forward in the prepared foods area for Publix. Until now, most of the chain's delis have simply featured rotisserie and fried chicken offerings, made-to-order Boar's Head sub sandwiches and prepared salads, meats and cheeses.
“We are competing with restaurants, and our customers have always relied on us to provide them high-quality deli foods,” explained Maria Brous, spokesperson for Publix.
Here, the broad selection of quality prepared foods caters to the busy upper-middle-class families and single professionals who surround the 51,000-square-foot store.
Decorated with deep reds, greens and blues, the restaurant concept area features a lighter color scheme compared with the rest of the store. Warmer drop lighting accentuates light-colored woods and silver signage, giving the area an earthy feel similar to natural food chains such as Wild Oats Markets.
The stations, featuring 80 different offerings, include: Pacific Wok, which boasts Asian entrées and appetizers; a Crispers-branded, made-to-order salad station; The Grill, which provides made-to-order lunch and dinner entrées; Mediterranean Oven, with gourmet pizzas and Italian entrées; a gourmet sandwich station; a soup station; The Carvery, which provides fresh-carved, slow-cooked meats; and the Chef's Selection, which features dinner specials ranging from comfort foods to gourmet entrées.
For example, The Grill offers standards such as a bacon cheeseburger for $6.99, but it also provides higher-end dishes such as Lobster Ravioli for $9.99 and Pesto Shrimp Skewers for $7.29.
The Grill will also offer fresh prepared breakfast options — another first for a Publix store. Served from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. daily, breakfast offerings will include made-to-order omelettes for $5.49 each, breakfast burritos for $4.99 each and a grab-and-go Country Ham on a Biscuit for $2.69.
Recent nightly dinner specials at the Chef's Selection station have included Porcini-Crusted London Broil for $8.99 per serving. Initial lunch offerings include a Southwest Beef Wrap for $7.99.
The Mediterranean Oven station offers nine pizzas, ranging from $7.99 for small pies to $16.99 for certain large ones. But the pizza station feels more like an Italian restaurant, with shoppers enjoying a selection of nine entrée dishes such as Lasagna and Veal Scallopini à la Marsala, as well as four different calzones.
The rest of the deli and dining area offers a selection of deli items similar to other Publix stores, but also features a “World Cheeses” refrigerated case, with blocks of imported cheese cut fresh in the store and merchandised alongside bottles of wine.
“Our hope is that we can take this model, see what venues do well, and then maybe place a venue or two from this in other stores,” Brous said.
