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feature

Macrina Bakery and Grand Central Bakery and Cupcake Royale's
gourmet cupcakes.
The Sammamish store features a dazzling array of foodservice options
(salad bar, hot bar, poke bar, antipasti bar, wraps, sandwiches, sushi,
protein pots and self-serve soups), as well as a pizza-by-the-slice
station, deli meat carving station, charcuterie, and cheese foundry. Just
steps away from the bakery department (located in the front left position of the store), there is a convenient set of stairs that takes shoppers
to a 40-seat dining area on the mezzanine. The company believes more
people will use this store as a restaurant than at other stores.

Christina Tosi and the company she founded, Milk Bar, will open a new location soon in Los Angeles and have received funding for additional expansion.

percent of those ages 55 and older. Young consumers' ease in opting for
technology when they need quickness and convenience is a reflection on how they use technology as a tool, rather than as a default, to
respond to their different dining situations and needs.
In addition, according to new research from the NPD Group, Gen Zs
differ from millennials in their attitudes towards large, multi-national
brands. When millennials became adults and began grocery shopping
there was a noticeable shift in favor of smaller, niche, local brands.
Prevailing sentiments among Gen Zs, however, represent a shift in
this thinking. In many ways Gen Z consumers think of themselves as
having a personal brand with a story and values by which to live. They
seek brands that support their story, and they are willing to use them
regardless of a brand's size.
"Food marketers should understand that this generation grew up
knowing that food is much more than sustenance; food represents
culture and therefore is an expression of who they are," says David
Portalatin, NPD food Industry advisor and author of Eating Patterns in
America. "This generation was raised to be real and true to themselves
and they expect the same from their foods and beverages."

Selling the experience

84 * MAY 2018 * instore

Likewise, Kowalski's Markets, an 11-store gourmet retailer based in
Woodbury, Minnesota, continues to be a shining example of a gourmet
retailer with its eye on innovation. The company's new Signature
Meal Kits are available without a subscription and feature a main dish
paired with a chef-selected side or accompaniment. For example, the
Mediterranean Crusted Salmon kit features Skuna Bay salmon with a
basil and roasted red pepper panko crust, paired with organic whole
grain brown rice and broccoli florets. A seasonal menu rotates every
two months, with two to six different meal options offered every day.
In addition, inside the store, Kowalski's addresses this trend with a
create-your-own pasta bar, so customers can create the way they want
it. "We see customization trending: choose the protein, choose the
sauce, and create your own meal," says Jenny Mahoney, deli director
for Kowalski's.
Each of Kowalski's Meal Kits is hand-prepped and packaged by
Kowalski's and serves two adults. Prices range from $17.99 to $27.99.
These kits are billed as more environmentally friendly than national
meal kit programs because they require less packaging, create less food
waste and use less fuel to transport than alternatives.
Kowalski's operates a central kitchen that "feeds" fresh prepared foods
to all stores, which receive deliveries six days a week. This guarantees
maximum freshness. Roughly 70 percent of the deli prepared foods
come from the central Kowalski's kitchen.
"The No. 1 thing we hang our hat on is the customer experience," says
Mahoney. "We invite our customers to give us feedback, and we make

DANIEL KRIEGER

Metropolitan Market's newest store in Sammamish, Washington, marks
the first suburban store for Met Market and is 10,000 square feet larger
than the average size of the other six, which are urban locations. The
average household size in Sammamish is three, compared with two at
other stores. Here, shoppers find a coffee bar and quick-service bakery
where they can order kombucha on tap or hard-to-find pastries like
kouign aman and kugelhopf, as well as Gelatiamo artisanal gelato.
Local bakery brands featured at Metropolitan include breads from

Tristan Ambrose, bakery and coffee bar coordinator for Met Market,
points out that Met Market's signature bakery item, The Cookie, originated years ago from an East Coast trip by Met Market's former owner/
chief executive officer Terry Halverson, who discovered an indulgent
sweet treat at a New York City bakery and wanted Met Market to create
something similar. "We came up with our own version," says Ambrose,
a classically trained pastry chef. "We sell over 1,200 of these per week,
companywide."

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