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Central Market: Fresh and Specialty Foods, Texas Style

They do everything big in Texas. Quantity defines the state. At Central Market, that translates into 75,000-square-foot markets that carry 700 varieties of fresh produce, 80 varieties of saltwater and freshwater fish, 60 types of homemade sausages, 600 varieties of cheese and 13,000 specialty foods, all in one location.

The paramount in quality supports the quantity. For instance, produce is maintained at 65 degrees F, to keep fruits and vegetables in their optimum condition. Thirty chefs work daily to prepare the 90 entrées, salads and sides offered in the Chef’s Case. “Fabulous Foodies roam the aisles to help shoppers with questions about food and food preparation.

“Our goal is to continually exceed our customers’ levels of expectations for freshness, taste and variety, says Stephen Butt, senior vice president, Central Market Division, H.E.B. “If a customer shops Central Market once, they will no longer see a conventional food store the same way.

By entering the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with three stores within the past 24 months, Central Market has established a foothold in North Texas. These three markets, plus two in Austin, one in San Antonio and one in Houston, are mammoth, each with hundreds of employees and tens of thousands of pleased customers. Specialty Food Magazine estimates that the markets average $700,000 in weekly business.

The Never-Satisfied Butt Family
Central Market is a small yet visible part of a much larger organization. H.E.B, the parent company, operates more than 300 supermarkets in Texas, Louisiana and Mexico, and does $10 billion in annual business.

Central Market reflects the psyche of the family-owned company and its leader. “Charles Butt is known for his restless dissatisfaction with the supermarket industry, says Stephen Butt, a family member. “About 10 years ago, he challenged John Campbell to create a different type of store, and John’s ideas turned into Central Market.

The Central Market story begins in 1992, when Charles Butt acquired a tract of property in Austin. Butt wanted to create an enjoyable shopping experience through providing incredible products and spectacular customer service. He assigned the task to Campbell. The original Central Market opened in 1994. It is one of the nation’s pre-eminent food stores, and is the second most-visited tourist destination in Austin, behind the state capital.

“We wanted to give Austin consumers an over-the-top shopping experience, says Campbell, whose title is vice president of innovation. The concept took off, spawning additional markets in Austin, San Antonio and Houston.

Central Market’s next frontier: the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. “This is an overstored market that presented a tremendous opportunity, says Butt. “We would be a totally new concept in the retail landscape. The company opened its first North Texas store in Fort Worth in October 2001, followed by Plano in February 2002 and Dallas in July 2002.

Leaders, Partners and Foodies
The biggest challenge in the Metroplex was the hiring of the right people or, in Central Market terms, “partners. The company puts an aggressive effort into recruiting and hiring personnel, from the general manager to apprentice cooks.

“People are the heart and soul of Central Market, says Butt. “We only hire those who are passionate about food, who get excited by 42 varieties of apples. And picking the right partners starts with choosing strong leaders.

Take, for instance, Bob Brandt, general manager of the Dallas store, and Michael Cox, general manager of Plano. Brandt has worked for 30 years in the supermarket industry, including 21 years with H.E.B. Cox came from the hospitality and foodservice industries, and was co-owner of the highly acclaimed Star Canyon with Chef Stephan Pyles.

While their backgrounds are diverse, their leadership attributes must include talent to inspire strong people. Campbell comments, "We need leaders with a lot of charisma, who can motivate the brightest people.

Leaders must also be comfortable letting supervisors and managers run their departments. Brandt says, “We have talented and intense people in management. My role is to encourage them, not to control them.

“Our success comes down to the hiring of people who will blossom in the Central Market culture, adds Cox.

Diversity is Common
Diversity in career background and geographic area is common in management. For instance, Laura Vella, perishables director for Central Market, Dallas, and regional buyer for the Metroplex stores, attended the French Culinary Institute in New York City and had worked at Café Society. Anita de Santo, nonperishable director, had 20 years of publishing experience before entering the food business. Executive Chef Jamie Samford was the chef at a critically acclaimed Dallas restaurant.

Even with such diverse backgrounds, all managers have a love of great, fresh food, and the drive to offer that food in optimum condition to customers.

This attitude goes well beyond management. At the Dallas store, the interviewing procedure began months before the opening. Each employee goes through a three-hour process, which includes role playing and one-on-one interviews. People skills, particularly the ability to relate to customers, are essential.

Those with the most people skills and food knowledge are granted the title of “Foodie. Butt says, “’Foodies’ are passionate about food. Their responsibility is to help shoppers learn how to use the store better, so they can get the most of the wonderful selection of food that we sell.

Dressed in smocks with buttons identifying their “Foodie status, these people wander Central Market providing one-on-one food education, and even helping hurried customers shop.

70 Feet of Seafood and Beyond
An entire article could be written about each department within Central Market. The directors and managers have built extensive selections of products from around the world, and worked out logistics that keep everything in prime condition.

Produce may be the most amazing. With 700 varieties of fruits and vegetables, the selection is nearly triple that of a conventional supermarket. Each product is followed from farm to store to home, and is continually sampled along the way. For instance, the field greens are carefully inspected in the fields, which are specifically allotted to the retailer to ensure quality control. Central Market has many farmers in Texas, California and elsewhere who grow exclusively for them.

Consumer-friendly touches abound. Bananas are displayed in varying degrees of ripeness; signs above the displays say that they will be ripe in four days, two days, or ready-to-eat now. “Our goal is to let our customers enjoy our produce when it is at optimum flavor, observes Produce Manager Mike Arriaga.

The abundance and freshness is also evident in “Protein Alley, the term used to describe the back aisle, which sports 70 feet of seafood cases on one side and 84 feet of meat cases on the other. From the beautiful displays of Gulf shrimp (often out of the water less than 24 hours) to the service meat cases filled with Bradley Third Generation Ranch beef, Buddy’s Grade-A fresh ice-packed poultry and more than 60 creative variations of store-made sausage, Protein Alley offers a selection that could make even more Texans go Atkins.

Café on the Run
Located on the left-hand side, the Café on the Run provides foods to “enhance and simplify customers’ lives. Consisting of the Chef’s Case, which offers 90 prepared food options, to the cheese department, deli and artisan bakery, this section even has a separate entrance, for shoppers who want good food but have no intentions of cooking.

Each item is prepared in-store under the supervision of Executive Chef Jamie Samford and Executive Sous-Chef Kyle Glascock. “We have the best uncooked food, because we get all of our meat, seafood, produce, etc., from our own perishables departments, says Glascock.

The creative enthusiasm of the chefs is tempered by Central Market’s goal of consistency among stores. Each of the 250 recipes available to the chefs has been prepared and tasted at the Austin headquarters, and chefs are required to follow the approved recipes. As Foodservice Director Mark Bauman says, “The Coconut Chicken Tenders that you buy in Dallas and in Fort Worth should taste the same.

Many Chef’s Case offerings are decidedly upscale, such as the Bacon Blue Cheese Potato Salad, Coriander Crusted Salmon, and Star Anise Pork Tenderloin. However, the best-sellers in Dallas are the more mundane, comforting foods, such as Meatloaf and Twice Baked Potatoes.

The Café on the Run also hosts a Salsa and Olive Bar, featuring a selection of 90-plus sauces, olives, pickles, spreads, dips, marinades and salsas, including the popular 5th Anniversary Salsa and Love Dip.

13,000 Specialty Foods
Center Store, which consists of specialty foods, bulk foods, wine and beer, frozen and dairy, sits between perishables and the Café on the Run. The planogran for the Dallas store include 13,000 specialty foods. Barry Bounds, director of center store procurement, says, “Our specialty foods offers the whole spectrum in every category—the highest quality and greatest value, including organic, bulk, artisan, ethnic and special diets. We feature direct imports and have exclusives throughout.

These thousands of specialties are displayed on Metro shelving by category, making a statement. For instance, the market offers 80 mustards, 130 olive oils and 170 salsas, including the new CM private label.

Sourcing these specialty foods is done by Bounds and Rex Howell Smith, specialty foods buyer. Smith says, “We attend all the major trade shows and are continuously scouring other stores, from Galeries Lafayette in Paris to Straub’s Markets in St. Louis. We are also inundated with samples from small manufacturers; that’s where we discover some of the biggest winners.

Bounds and Smith are most interested in the product itself, and rarely allow a vendor to make a sales pitch. Says Bounds, “We love the thrill of discovery. We like to determine why a product will work for us.

This thrill of discovery, the knowledge that even an outstanding store can be improved, makes Central Market continuously better. As Vice President of Innovation Campbell concludes, “Our culture is that of a constant dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Ron Tanner is the editor of Specialty Food Magazine.