instore - March 2018 - 24

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right in the middle of the store. Prepared foods became central to the
Bi-Rite mission. And two decades later, it's not only prepared foods that
are enjoying continually strong growth, year after year. Deli and bakery
are also among the strongest category performers for the company.
Not surprisingly, with Chef Sam at the helm, one of Bi-Rite's signature offerings is its Bi-Rite Dinner. "We do dinner every day - hyperseasonal dishes, rarely ever the same thing," he says. "If something is a
hit, though, it can become a core-market item." Take roast chicken and
mashed potatoes. On days it's served, "there's kind of like a mutiny"
among the store's customers, Mogannam said. Meatloaf is another
comfort-food favorite.
Many of Bi-Rite's chefs cut their teeth at some of the nation's finest
restaurants, Mogannam says. Both the 18th Street and the Western
Addition markets have their own chefs and sous chefs, The company
also employs a Chef of Culinary Innovations.
Every day, in addition to the Bi-Rite Dinner, that team of chefs decides
what 8 to 10 items they want to make in addition to the prepared food
staples. Many items are made in-house, and many more at the Bi-Rite
commissary. Soups also rotate on a regular basis. Chicken noodle and
matzo ball are among the regular favorites, Mogannam says. Bi-Rite's
full-service deli case features about 30 items on any given day -about

three-quarters of them fall into the "staples" category, the rest change
depending on the season.
Sandwich options on the January day InStore paid a visit included
recognizable fare like a meatball sub, grilled chicken, turkey and ham.
More exotic offerings included a Vegan Hippy (avocado, sweet potato,
pea shoots and green onion aioli on thick-cut seeded bread), Tofu
Banh Mi (fried tofu, pickled vegetables, cilantro, scallions and aioli on a
baguette) and Fried Chicken (buttermilk fried chicken prepared buffalo
style, Calabrian chili, honey, cabbage, aioli and pickles on a baguette).
And even the "normal" sandwiches come with Bi-Rite twists. The
grilled chicken, for example, is rubbed with achiote and topped with
pickled onions, provolone and chipotle aioli on focaccia.
Bi-Rite's deli also features a full roster of salads (Vegan Hippy,
Vietnamese Tofu, Nicoise Tuna and Grilled Chicken were among the
January choices), heat-and-serve pastas and grain-and-grilled-protein
dishes, hummus, guacamole, sauces, vinaigrettes, grain- and vegetablebased salads and other items. Many packaged items bear a "Bi-Rite
from Scratch" label. Labels on ready-to-eat salads and other deli items
encourage shoppers to "Eat Local."
"Eat Good Food" can be found on many Bi-Rite shelf tags. (It's also the
title of a book Mogannam co-authored,
the subtitle of which is "A Grocer's Guide
to Shopping, Cooking and Creating
Community through Food.")
Fresh and local are two of the most
important words in the Bi-Rite vocabulary, so it's no surprise that vegetables
also play a central role in the store's deli
lineup. "Every night our chefs come
up with creative veggie sides, and our
veggie salads sell out more quickly than
anything else," Mogannam says.

Meats are sourced from around the
country. Specialty brands include
Olli, Olympia Provisions, La Quercia,
24 * MARCH 2018 * instore

BI-RITE, PRAPASS - SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Much of the deli meat sold in the Bi-Rite
deli case is sourced directly from the
producer, and most of it is clean-label.
Some meats, like roast beef, are made
in-house. In the second quarter of
2018 Bi-Rite expects to begin handling
its turkey production in-house, too,
Mogannam said.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - March 2018