Attention foodies and Wegmans fans in New York City: They day you've been waiting for is finally here.
After months of anticipation, the beloved grocery store chain opened its Manhattan location Wednesday morning. The 87,500 square-foot store opened in the two lower levels of 770 Broadway at the corner of Astor Place and Lafayette Street, in Greenwich Village.
"Well, coming from Rochester, we're known for a few things: I would say that would be Kodak, garbage plates and Wegmans. So when a new one opens up, I have to show up," said shopper Jordan White, who was waiting outside the store ahead of its 9 a.m. opening.
"We know our customers can’t wait to come see what we have in store and our employees have been training, in some cases, for over a year to get ready for this day,” store manager Matt Dailor previously said, calling the store "a celebration of food and people."
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The chain said that it hired more than 600 workers for the new location, inside the historic Wannamaker Building. It will take the place of the former Astor Place Kmart. The store's entrance will be on Lafayette between 8th and 9th streets. Wegmans said the majority of employees were hired locally.
The store said that it will offer "made-to-order and packaged Mezze options, inspired by a Mediterranean diet." In addition to grocery options, there will also be "fresh sushi, fresh-made salads, sandwiches, hot sandwiches, soups, pizza, and wings, as well as hot Asian cuisine options."
The seafood department will feature fish delivered from east coast and U.S. ports as well as being flown in several times a week from the Toyosu Fish Market in Japan.
While the grocery store portion will open in October, an on-site dining room — complete with a sushi bar as well as a champagne and oyster bar — is slated to open some time in the first half of 2024.
Wegmans, which already operates one location in Brooklyn that opened in 2019, consistently lands in industry top-10 lists, including a #2 ranking in a recent Food & Wine's list of America's best grocery stores. It also has been named to Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for 26 years in a row, ranking fourth in 2023.
