Mariano's grocery chain moves into underserved Lakeview neighborhood

Aug 29, 2016, 12:50pm CDT

Lewis LazareReporterChicago Business Journal

How does "grocerant" grab you?

That's the, uh, term Mariano's executives are using to describe a new grocery store concept being introduced on Tuesday in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood on the city's near north side.

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On Tuesday Mariano's will open its first store in the Lakeview neighborhood on Chicago's…more

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY MARIANO'S

What the new term aims to suggest is that this particular Mariano's will be both a traditional grocery outlet and a place where customers can find a larger-than-usual array of prepared restaurant-style items to either eat in store or take home.

Mariano's has done its homework, it would appear. This particular approach sounds tailor-made for the masses of busy millennials who inhabit the Lakeview neighborhood around where the new two-story Mariano's is located at 3030 N. Broadway.

Bob Mariano, president and CEO of Mariano's parent Roundy's Supermarkets, a unit of the giant Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), said the new store is a "true 'grocerant' experience that exceeds our shoppers desire for fresh, flavorful and uniquely prepared meals and snacks as well as a full selection of grocery staples."

The list of prepared food stations in the new Mariano's Lakeview store is indeed long and varied. A Lakeview Urban Pasta Bar will serve made-to-order fresh pasta dishes and noodles. A Four Star Burger Bar will feature, as the name implies, an array of burgers, including the "19th District," with roasted garlic, cheddar, heirloom tomatoes and garlic aioli.

Gem & Vine is the name of a chopped salad station with salads named to reflect the local scene, including "Halsted Health Nut" and "Steak Shore Drive." And for dessert fanatics, a Nutella Bar will offer crepes, waffles and brioche with the popular hazelnut spread. But there's more, including a smoothies bar, a coffee bar, a sushi station and a barbecue stand.

Produce will be one of the star departments in the new Mariano's in Lakeview with greens and tomatoes picked and delivered directly from Mariano's greenhouse in Rochelle, IL.

The Mariano's Lakeview and in-store pharmacy are not likely to be lacking for customers as soon as it opens on Tuesday. The immediate neighborhood has been without a full-service grocery store for well over 10 years, since a Dominick's burned down at the same location in the summer of 2005. The biggest losers in the opening of the Mariano's are likely to be a Jewel-Osco and Whole Foods stores further north of the new Mariano's.

Founded in 2010, the Mariano's chain consists of 38 locations across the Chicago metro area.