METUCHEN — The excitement surrounding the Whole Foods Market opening last week was hard to contain.
“I’m excited for the fish and produce,” Melissa Boxer, an Edison resident, said with a smile as she pushed a cart load of groceries from the store.
Boxer said to have a Whole Foods Market in close proximity to her home was a plus.
“Honestly, from where I live in Edison [the location of the Whole Foods] is not much further than my house than the [other supermarket] that I went to,” she said.
The eco-minded grocery chain opened on Oct. 11 to a throng of people. It was not easy to find a parking space in one of the 215 spaces allotted.
Raji Vasu, also an Edison resident, perusing one of the aisles inside the store, said she was really excited for the opening of Whole Foods.
“I would drive to [another grocery store] in Woodbridge, which would take 20 to 30 minutes … this is much closer,” she said.
Roger Baran, of Metuchen, said it was nice to finally have another supermarket in town.
“We had the old Foodtown … this is why we are so happy,” he said.
Baran said not only is he able to walk to the Whole Foods from his residence, it is nice to see familiar faces from the community.
The Whole Foods Market opening in Metuchen marks the chain’s 18th location in the Garden State, and its first in Middlesex County.
The Metuchen store created approximately 160 new local jobs, 70 percent of which will be full-time employees.
Inside the store is the antique clock that has been a lifelong member of the Metuchen community It originally stood inside the Friendly’s Restaurant in the 1960s.
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.
Every item sold in the store meets Whole Foods Market’s rigorous 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.
The store in Metuchen features a number of convenient culinary offerings for dine-in and take-out, such as the new “Comida Fresca” restaurant.
This Tex-Mex cantina features a full bar, outdoor seating, and serve a full menu of drinks, appetizers and entrees.
The Metuchen store brings 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 come from local entities within 100 miles of the store in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
The Whole Foods Market opens 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. Their corporate office is in Austin, Texas.
