Shelves are stocked in preparation for the Wednesday opening of the new 53,300+ square foot Food City on Broad Street.
“We are proud to have worked with the city of Chattanooga and River City Company to make this unique new project possible,” says Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer. He said, “The development will be a great place to shop, dine, and enjoy beer and wine in a friend-welcoming atmosphere.”
The downtown Chattanooga store includes an in-store bakery and deli, complete with a hot food bar, fireplace, Asian wok, fresh food bar offering a variety of soup, salad, and fruit selections, hickory smoker, pizza oven, fresh sushi, beer and wine on tap, and one of the company’s largest seating areas at over 115 total seats, including a sunroom and large outdoor patio. The food court offers a restaurant-quality dining experience for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Full-service meat and seafood departments offer top-quality meats, including Certified Angus Beef and pre-marinated/seasoned oven ready products. In-house butchers are available to hand cut steaks and fresh meat to order. Expanded grocery, frozen food, and produce departments go well beyond the normal fare with a huge selection of specialty, gourmet, and vegan items. The Food City Floral Boutique is staffed with a designer seven days a week and offers a full assortment of fresh-cut floral arrangements, bouquets, gift items, and more. Rapid checkout service is provided by six check-out lanes and eight self-checkouts. Curbside pick-up and home delivery are available for customers wishing to shop on-line.
The location also includes a Food City Pharmacy and Starbucks café, offering a wide assortment of blended hot/cold coffees and beverages. Several award-winning energy saving concepts are included as well, ranging from energy efficient glass cooler doors, parking lot lights, and refrigeration systems to motion sensors, and 100% LED lighting.
"This is another big step forward in the revitalization of South Chattanooga,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “Not only will this brand new grocery store include new housing, but it will also help attract more housing to the downtown area, and the former (Food City) location is also slated to become a significant housing development. There are very few projects that move us as far forward at once in our battle in the housing crisis as this one does. But it also strengthens neighborhoods, and creates opportunities for folks to live, work and raise a family in new parts of our city. I'm grateful to Food City for bringing access to fresh healthy food to this area."
To conform to downtown Chattanooga’s Form Based Code requirements, the project also includes approximately 16,000 square feet of two-level retail and office space along Broad Street and six two-story townhouses along W. 13th Street.
Emily Mack, River City Company president and chief executive officer, said, “The opening of Food City on Broad Street is an exciting and tremendous addition to downtown. Access to healthy and fresh food along with household supplies is much needed by our local residents and downtown employees. We applaud the commitment by Food City to match the urban aesthetics with a unique design that also incorporates housing, dining, and meeting space.”
Phase two of the project includes the completion of an upper level 3,000 square foot community room with a total seating capacity of 120 which will be made available to area groups to host community meetings and events.