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Outstanding Retailers of 2003

Specialty food stores have become an integral part of the American retailing landscape.

These stores are valued culinary resources, where consumers can discover hard-to-find ingredients to add sparkle to a home-cooked dinner, or simply purchase a delicious prepared entrée that makes them forget they cannot cook. They are places where one can be educated through wine tastings or cooking classes or simply start a conversation that will add new dimension to dinner.

Although there are thousands of outstanding specialty retailers in the U.S., the following six stores are recognized as leaders. Despite diverse formats and different clientele, they all offer a range of high-quality products, plus the highest level of service. These markets also share the philosophy of making eating pleasurable and create an attractive ambiance for making shopping enjoyable.

In order to identify potential “Outstanding Retailer” candidates, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. (NASFT) asked its supplier members to name retailers who they admired. Approximately 350 markets were nominated. Those with the most nominations were asked to submit entries, which included photographs, store facts, articles, menus, newsletters, press kits, training manuals and letters from customers. This wealth of information was evaluated by a panel of retailers, manufacturers, distributors and journalists, who had the daunting challenge of choosing the Outstanding Retailers of 2003.

Sahadi’s Specialty and Fine Foods:
An Evolving Community Fixture

Opened by his father in 1948, Charlie Sahadi’s legendary store on Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue has evolved from an ethnic market to a specialty food store featuring Middle Eastern delicacies.

Sahadi’s Specialty and Fine Foods originally served Brooklyn Heights’ Arab community by offering ingredients for preparing traditional meals. As the neighborhood diversified, the Sahadi family added assorted specialty products to attract new customers. By the early 1980s, the store offered a substantial range of specialty items which reduced “the unknown factor” for non-ethnic shoppers. “Our ethnic customers loved the specialty food products, and our specialty food customers enjoyed the ethnic products. It turned out to be the perfect marriage,” says Sahadi.

Today, this perfect marriage draws regular customers from all over New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. “People come to Atlantic Avenue looking for great value,” Sahadi continues.

One of the attributes that separates Sahadi’s is the tremendous variety of bulk products. In an unusual twist, the bulk department is a full-service operation. A trained staff member accompanies each customer around the section, scooping up as little or as much of a particular item as the customer needs.

Barrels brim with couscous, beans, lentils and dried mint. More than 200 glass jars filled with unusual treats such as dried nectarines and pears, sugar-coated Turkish pistachios, and roasted and salted chickpeas beckon to shoppers. Coffee, exotic spices, and a vast array of nuts are also priced per pound. An astounding 26 types of olives are available, as well as Middle Eastern specialties such as pickled red eggplant and beet-stained purple pickled turnips.

“As an ingredient store, we need to show customers how to cook with what we sell. That’s why we opened the deli,” Sahadi says. “Trying our prepared foods encourages shoppers to experiment with our ingredients at home.” The deli offers a range of Middle Eastern favorites such as tabouli, falafel, curried couscous salad, and stuffed grape leaves in addition to more mundane combinations like fruit salad and chicken Parmesan. The five-person kitchen staff also functions as a caterer, preparing menus to order for parties and events.

Sahadi’s features an ethnic dairy case stocked with Greek yogurt, cheeses from Lebanon, and exotic juices from Egypt, in addition to its specialty dairy department that showcases European cheeses, smoked fish, pâtés, and a variety of imported butters. Other specialty items include organic breads, pasta, assorted vinegars and olive oils, jams, chutneys and a range of boxed grains packed under the Sahadi label.

For neighborhood customers and the “weekenders” who make the trip to Brooklyn to stock their pantries, Sahadi’s offers variety, value, and exceptional service. “We really care about our customers. We treat them as friends,” Sahadi explains. “I’ve known some of my customers since before they were born.

“Shopping here isn’t a chore. People like the atmosphere, the personal service, and they know a member of the Sahadi family is almost always here to answer their questions and take care of them.” On Saturdays, Sahadi can be found chatting with customers as he bags their groceries.

Contact: Charlie Sahadi, Sahadi’s Specialty and Fine Foods, 187-189 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11201; 718.624.4550; Fax: 718.643.4413; www.sahadis.com.—Jennifer Maslow

Andronico's:
The Bay Area’s Specialty Supermarket

Assaulting the senses is what Andronico’s does best. The family-owned San Francisco Bay area-based 11-store chain has created lasting impressions in the minds, hearts, and palates of its customers—for 73 years.

In 1929, Frank Andronico, a Greek immigrant, opened his first market in Berkeley. The store sported the name Park and Shop. Always an innovator, the company even debuted one of the first drive-through groceries in the U.S.

“We like to think that we have the entire food solution for our customers,” says Frank’s grandson Bill Andronico, president and CEO. From basics to value-added to the unusual, each of the 12 departments is a destination stop for customers, where they can experience, taste and learn about everything from boutique Australian wine to organic bread.

The soul of the markets is the prepared food and delicatessen departments. All stores have open, fully equipped kitchens in which customers can see and hear chefs preparing entrées, salads and other culinary delights. With close to 100 prepared food selections daily, the markets offer quality menu options for time-constrained California consumers. Some of the more popular selections include grilled free-range turkey and roasted lamb sandwiches from the grill station and panini—priced $4.99 and up—and pizza from the pizza station. The sushi and noodle bar is also a popular destination stop. The Danville store displays 30-40 prepared food entrées including steak Florentine and cappelini with artichokes and pine nuts.

Andronico’s roots, however, remain in produce. Each market boasts 500 varieties of fruits and vegetables, including 100 organic selections. Hard-to-find offerings such as heirloom tomatoes, cherimoya and cactus pears are commonplace in all the 11 stores, which average 32,492 square feet.

Knowing what is shaping future tastes, and keeping a good network of vendors and retailers to consult with, helps keep Andronico’s competitive. “We do all we can to secure products at favorable costs and be flexible and fast-moving with store style and presentation,” says Andronico.

Andronico’s aggressively samples in all departments and encourages employees to be as knowledgeable as possible, to understand the attributes of the products they sell. For example, when a new selection is offered in the meat department, the butchers will talk about it to staff, so they better understand what makes the product distinct. The company also has a Mentor Program that pairs up new hires or anyone moving up or into another department with a mentor.

Contact: Kristina Spencer, Andronico’s Market, 1109 Washington Ave., Albany, CA 94706; 510.559.2849; Fax: 510.524.3601; www.andronicos.com.—Nicole Potenza Denis

Central Market:
Specialty Foods, Texas Size

They do everything big in Texas, and specialty food is no exception. Ranging from 16,000 to 75,000 square feet, Central Market has emerged as possibly the best retailer of specialty and perishable foods in the country.

With seven locations, including four that have opened within the past 18 months, Central Market is a retailer on the move. Find out more about this Outstanding Retailer of 2003 in the Profile feature.—Ron Tanner

Zabar's:
A Manhattan Legend

What started as a small superette with only cheese, smoked fish and some groceries 70 years ago, has turned into a New York tradition: Zabar’s, a 16,000-square-foot smorgasbord of culinary delights, almost an entire city block long.

“It’s not rocket science,” says Owner Saul Zabar. “You need to be attentive to your customers, to your products and especially to what is going on in the industry.”

A walk through Zabar’s on Manhattan’s Upper West Side will never be without crowds, especially around the smoked fish and cheese counters. The merchant sells 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of smoked fish weekly (4,000 pounds during the Jewish holidays), and boasts more than 600 varieties of imported cheese. Private-label items include canned salmon, BBQ sauce, rye bread and coffee; Zabar’s sells nearly 10,000 pounds of beans a week. “We roast our own beans,” says Zabar. “It’s how we control the quality and freshness.”

Zabar estimates that approximately 40,000 people shop the store per week. Those filling their baskets with everything from homemade chicken pot pie and onion-crusted salmon to challah bread and bagels are mainly Upper Westside Manhattanites, with a few New Jersey and Connecticut shoppers joining the mix. Along with the vast array of food on the main level, the mezzanine offers 6,000 square feet of culinary equipment and housewares.

So who does Zabar compete with in the Big Apple? “No one,” he says. The specialty retailer carries no “basics” and is strictly a specialty food store. The legendary merchant depends on quality, value and reputation to stay at the top of its game. Those who can’t get to the store can shop Zabar’s website or mail-order catalog. Zabar plans on continuing to develop the website and is always keeping an eye out for new and exciting products.

Contact: Saul Zabar, Zabar’s, 2245 Broadway, New York, NY 10024; 212.787.2004; Fax: 212.580.4477; www.zabars.com.—Nicole Potenza Denis

Fox & Obel:
Chicago’s Premier Specialty Destination

Fox & Obel, opened in Chicago’s River East neighborhood just two years ago, has quickly become one of the city’s premier shopping destinations. Complete with a critically acclaimed café and a thriving catering business, Fox & Obel is more than a typical specialty food store. The original concept, explains President Cary Attar, was to “bring a warm, non-intimidating, Midwestern feel to the food tradition of the East Coast.” By offering a balanced product array and emphasizing friendly customer service, the store sports an inviting atmosphere.

“We wanted to create an unpretentious, approachable store offering specialty and innovative products at a value,” says Attar. Part of the strategy to make people feel comfortable involves stocking some key non-specialty items, at competitive prices. “By selling 2-liter bottles of Coca Cola at the market price, we earn the trust of new shoppers,” Attar says. “We can fully meet the needs of our customers by offering a balanced selection. People can stop by our bulk candy department for snacks to take to the movies, or they can pick up Christopher Norman chocolate to serve after a fine meal.

“Our product array is edited to include mainstream items as well as rare, esoteric selections. Each department offers guests the chance to ‘trade up’,” Attar says. For instance, shoppers find shiny red delicious apples in produce alongside torpedo shallots and Buddha’s hand. In the butcher shop, customers can help themselves to packages of ground beef or they can have trained experts cut dry-aged steaks or racks of Colorado lamb to order. Cheese shoppers can choose from the grab-and-go pagoda or order hand-cut selections.

Fox & Obel’s staff is taught to “cherish guests,” Attar says. Employees learn the importance of eye contact and of greeting every customer with a smile. This approach reduces the intimidation factor and fosters that warm, Midwestern feel.

After perusing the wine department’s 600 labels, shoppers can relax at the café over freshly brewed coffee and made-to-order sandwiches. With a 50-seat dining area and line service, the atmosphere is “fast casual.” Says Attar, “When a guest orders a turkey sandwich, they know it will be all-natural turkey we roasted in our own kitchen on bread baked fresh in our artisanal bakery.”

Prepared foods does a great deal of evening business. Urban professionals stop by after work to pick up Chinese lacquered salmon and wasabi mashed potatoes for dinner. Made-from-scratch meatloaf is a top seller, and the kitchen staff can’t keep up with the demand for the popular Maryland lump crab cakes.

Contact: Laura Zimmerman, Fox & Obel, 401 E. Illinois, Chicago, IL 60611; 312.410.7301; Fax: 312.410.7305; www.fox-obel.com.—Jennifer Maslow

The Better Cheddar:
A Gourmet Mecca in the Midwest

In 1983, Ron Shalinsky purchased a fledgling sandwich shop in downtown Kansas City and transformed it into a premier destination for seekers of international cheeses and specialty foods. Twenty years later, The Better Cheddar—now with two locations in the Kansas City area—attracts customers from all over the Midwest and is often cited as one of the nation’s leading cheese sources in national magazines such as Martha Stewart Living. A tremendous mail-order business allows the store to reach beyond the heartland, gaining loyal customers throughout the country.

Located in The Plaza, Kansas City’s fashionable outdoor shopping district, the original Better Cheddar is frequented by tourists and regular visitors. “It’s kind of a ‘stock-up store’,” says Shalinsky. “People in the city on business stop by to stock up on cheeses, pasta, salsas—whatever they need—to take back home. They return when their supply runs out.”

The wine department promotes selections from local restaurants; customers can pick up a bottle of the wine they enjoyed at a nearby eatery to savor at home or to serve to guests. The Prairie Village store, located across the state line in Kansas, is more of a neighborhood store that draws customers from suburbs to the south and west.

Offering a rotating selection of more than 150 cheeses, The Better Cheddar stresses international cheeses, although domestic varieties are coming on strong, accounting for 10 percent of the selection, a dramatic rise from previous years. “I have made a concerted effort to bring in a range of American cheeses,” Shalinsky says. “I want to showcase all the variety that’s out there and get beyond the typical mozzarellas and muensters.”

Shalinsky piques customer interest with a massive sampling program. On any given day, shoppers will find 40 to 50 cheeses being sampled. Sampling stations set up along the aisles and around the sales floor offer tastes of new products and drive extra sales.

The Better Cheddar also carries cured meats and sausages, smoked salmon, and a variety of shelf-stable products such as spices, olives, honeys, marinades, chocolates, coffee, and tea. A broad range of imported items includes English candy bars, pickled walnuts, and anchovies. Every day, 30 to 40 shelf-stable products such as jams and mustards are set out for sampling. Shoppers can pick up freshly prepared sandwiches for lunch or order gift baskets for special occasions.

Dedicated to educating the public and driving sales through community activities, Shalinsky participates in numerous seminars and teaches cheese classes around town. This fall he will be hosting a mustard tasting through the Kansas City chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food and a chocolate tasting with the local chocolate club.

Contact: Ron Shalinsky, The Better Cheddar, 604 W. 48th St., Kansas City, MO 64112; 816.561.8204; Fax: 816.561.5793.—Jennifer Maslow