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Save Mart to open first fast-casual restaurant

Eatery situated inside chain’s new flagship store

Russell Redman

October 1, 2019

2 Min Read
Save Mart_The Tipping Point restaurant - Copy.jpeg
Save Mart

The Save Mart Cos. is set to debut a fast-casual restaurant concept tomorrow as part of the opening of Save Mart flagship store in Modesto, Calif.

Called The Tipping Point, the in-store restaurant features a signature entrée of tri-tip barbecued steak served in a wet or dry sandwich, torta, taco or salad, as well as whole. The menu also includes street corn and other side dishes, handmade churros with chocolate and caramel dipping sauces, soda, water and a range of local beers and wines on tap.

Save Mart said The Tipping Point’s beer and wine varieties will change seasonally and be announced on the store’s Facebook page. When the new supermarket opens, it will feature Dust Bowl, Blaker Brewery, Heretic, Drakes, 21st Amendment and Tioga beer and four William Hill and Louis M. Martini wines on tap, along with a selection of bottled wines.

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The Tipping Point will offer seating for 63 people, including 22 indoor and 41 outdoor seats. Customers ordering food from the store’s prepared foods departments also will be able to eat in the restaurant’s seating areas.

Save Mart, which developed The Tipping Point concept, said it will decide whether to bring the eatery to other stores based on customer feedback from the first locations. Plans call for The Tipping Point’s menu and other prepared foods from the store’s hot bar and service deli to become available for DoorDash on-demand delivery in the coming weeks.

Related:Save Mart launches online grocery delivery across banners

“We have a strong identification with how good food brings people together, and tri-tip is a staple in the Central Valley,” The Save Mart Cos. CEO Nicole Pesco said in a statement. “The Tipping Point gives the community a new gathering spot to enjoy this amazing food in a comfortable atmosphere.”

Located at the corner of Oakdale Road and Sylvan Avenue in Modesto, the new flagship store reflects Save Mart’s latest format and will serve as an innovation center for testing new concepts and services for the chain.

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Besides The Tipping Point, highlights of the new supermarket include The Bakery Bar, with fresh-baked treats and coffee and espresso drinks; Meat & Seafood Central, with an in-house smoker; the Valley Fresh Produce Stand, including local fruit and vegetables and produce cut to order; The Deli Market, offering a full-service deli counter plus made-to-order foods, sandwiches and soup; The Beer Cave, billed as Modesto’s largest selection of cold beer; and cheese-and-wine specialists to help customers pair cheese and wine with other foods.

The Save Mart Cos. operates 83 stores under the Save Mart banner in California and northern Nevada. Overall, its retail network includes 207 traditional and price-impact supermarkets, also under the Lucky, FoodMaxx and MaxxValue Foods banners.

Related:Lucky Supermarkets launches Instacart delivery

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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