An Ann Arbor grocery store is the latest food retailer to add by-the-glass beer sales to its product lineup.
Lucky's Market finalized its Class C liquor license purchase and transfer in late February and began converting its store -- a former Kroger on South Industrial near East Stadium -- immediately.
Six taps will be running a mix of craft and mass-market beers for a single price: $2 per pint.
"The price is kind of unheard of, but we desired to give people an opportunity to enjoy good beer without a high cost," said Conrad Skelton, senior culinary director of the Colorado-based 16-store chain.
The store's "Sip and Stroll" program is operated throughout the chain where the licensing is available and zoning allows it, Skelton said.
Customers will be able to buy the $2 pint and carry it in a cup holder on their grocery cart while they shop, "with beer in hand to make the experience .. more interesting to people and have more fun."
They'll also be able to sit in the cafe area, where seats are available at the bar and at tables. Prepared food - the chef's case, salad bar and soup station - is nearby.
Skelton said there will be a Friday night special, with 2 slices of pizza and a pint of beer for $5. Activities also are part of Lucky's Sip and Stroll lineup, with options like adult coloring events and movie nights with 1980s and 1990s favorites likely to be scheduled.
"It's the millennial approach to things," he said. "You can have fun doing things you did as a kid and be carefree and silly."
The idea, Skelton said, is to create a comfortable and interesting destination for food and drink - whether a customer takes them home or consumes them on the spot.
The store will have one staple beer along with craft beer rotations, depending on customer requests and vendor availability. Initial offerings include Guinness, Bell's Two-Hearted and Short's Local's Light.
Skelton said customers find the beer option "unique and interesting," and it drives a lot of business, especially in college markets. Some stores have as many as 8 taps.
Lucky's enters the beer-with-groceries market as Busch's is exploring adding a wine bar to a new store in Canton and Whole Foods continues to offer it in many markets.
Ann Arbor is the chain's only Michigan location, but it will open soon in Traverse City.