Publix to Test New Fresh Meals Program

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Publix Super Markets is preparing to debut a fresh meals test concept that will focus on convenience, quality, variety, high-level service, made-to-order freshness and some pizzazz. The new concept, which will be unveiled April 12 at the opening of a newly built, 51,000-square-foot store in Lake Mary, Fla., will feature seven venues, each offering its own distinct made-to-order and ready-to-eat, restaurant-style cuisine, officials told SN. The seven venues will be bunched together in a dedicated deli area that has its own entrance and its own cash registers, offering shoppers convenience, as well as choices ranging from Publix‘s custom-made subs to dishes like kung pao chicken and Vietnamese-style pork. The line-up includes an Asian kitchen, a carvery, a rotisserie program, an artisan sandwich bar, an artisan salad bar, a "culinary counter," where slow-cooked entrees such as pot roast are emphasized, and a Mediterranean pizza station featuring a hearth oven. "This is our commitment to helping our time-pressed customers. We like to call it The Seven Wonders of Publix's Deli," spokeswoman Maria Brous said. -- Roseanne Harper