There has been a great deal posted about the coming of Whole Foods to the old Minyard’s site and what this could mean to our neighborhood. While in Austin this weekend, I decided to make a recon trip downtown to the Mother of All Whole Foods stores to see what we might have to look forward to.
Most recently, there has been hope expressed that the new Lakewood store will be more pedestrian oriented and provide a more significant feature at the Abrams/Gaston intersection. This is not, however, what you get with the big Austin store. While it fronts to Lamar Street, the building is still separated from the street by two double-loaded aisles of car parking, smaller than the parking lot in front of their Lemmon Avenue store, but about the same size as the lot in front of the Greenville Avenue store. It does have better lighting and landscaping, but it’s also very, very busy. They have accomplished this small lot with a huge store by locating the great majority of their parking in a garage underneath. So most people enter the store via an interior escalator. On the exterior, the front of the store is a huge improvement over other standard grocery store displays of propane bottles, firewood or fertilizer. There is a large canopy, lots of tables and trees, all associated with a cafe. While next to the parking lot, this outdoor area is very pleasant and probably the nicest such amenity I’ve seen. Still, you’re not likely to loose the sense that you are at the grocery store. You have to go inside for that.
This is pretty heady stuff for an aspiring foodie. It has groceries, but I don’t know that you can really think of it as a grocery store. The layout seems pretty traditional, with only a few hints of a CM-type maze. As you would expect, the selection, freshness and display (see the photo above) are really amazing. There was a 12 foot long refrigerated case of nothing but fresh sausage. I didn’t know I could be surprised by a sausage display. My Brilliant Bride even did some spot checking of prices and didn’t feel they were out of line with what we pay at Kroger here. That was a surprise, too.
The real difference is in the prepared food that is available. Throughout the store there are kiosk-like stations, many with a short counter and stools with each selling and exhibiting a different food item. For instance, we were greeted by a case full of roasted nuts as we entered the store. A little further along was a confectionery, complete with a chocolate fountain and dozens of candies and chocolates treats that were almost too beautiful to eat. Next to the meat section there is a complete barbecue stand. A real one with their smoked meats on display and a counter where you can sit and eat a real barbecue plate and drink a beer. At another, coffee beans are roasted fresh on-site and are displayed in wooden barrels where you scoop your own. There are attendants there to grind it for you, if you wish.
Most notable, however, was in the fresh, hot food that was available. Separate from the cafe and the bistro is a large hot buffet where each station has a theme like "Global Cuisine" and "Gourmet". The admonition to not do your grocery shopping when you are hungry takes on a whole new dimension here. Finally, I have to mention the clothing. Yes, there is an entire section of casual wear, like out of an L.L. Bean catalog. It’s right next to the makeup aisle, the one with the attendants. When I noted that I had never seen anything like any of this, my Brilliant Bride was quick to point out how similar it was to the food section at Harrod’s in London. Maybe that would be a bit much for Old East Dallas, but I am now even more interested in what might be in store for us here.
