METUCHEN — In about a month, the Whole Foods Market will open its doors to eager and patient Metuchenites, who have been waiting for the eco-minded grocery chain to open since 2014.
“It’s great that Metuchen will once again have a supermarket in town, especially one with the reputation of Whole Foods,” Mayor Peter Cammarano said. “It’s a tribute to the progress in town that we were able to draw a company of their high level.”
The Whole Foods Market opening in Metuchen on Oct. 11 marks the chain’s 18th location in the Garden State and the first in Middlesex County.
Doors will open to customers at 8 a.m. and shoppers can look forward to prize giveaways, special sales and product demonstrations and samples.
The 45,000 square foot store at 645 Middlesex Avenue will feature a Tex-Mex Bar and Restaurant offering a variety of margaritas, wine as well as craft beers and IPAs catering to the younger crowd.
“We can’t wait to serve Middlesex County in the ‘Brainy Borough’ of Metuchen,” said Whole Foods Market Metuchen Store Team Leader Felicia Williams. “We look forward to providing great deals, industry-leading quality standards for natural and organic foods and exciting new innovations like our ‘Comida Fresca’ Tex-Mex restaurant and bar.”
Every item sold in the store meets Whole Foods Market’s quality standards, which means high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and sweeteners are not allowed.
Whole Foods Market maintains a list of more than 400 unacceptable ingredients which are banned from food products sold there.
The store in Metuchen will feature a number of convenient culinary offerings for dine-in and take-out, such as the new “Comida Fresca” restaurant.
This Tex-Mex cantina will feature a full bar, outdoor seating, and serve a full menu of drinks, appetizers and entrees.
The Metuchen store will also have Whole Foods Market’s customer service, ranging from full-service butchers and fishmongers who can help custom-cut or prep ingredients, to knowledgeable cheese experts.
Products will come from local entities within 100 miles of the store in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
The market will create approximately 160 new local jobs, 70 percent of which will be full-time employees.
The Whole Foods Market will open at 8 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. The restaurant will close when the store closes.
Whole Foods Market has been in the grocery market since 1980 when its first store opened. The corporate office is in Austin, Texas.
