There’s highly anticipated, and then there’s hundreds of people eagerly waiting outside for your store to open. That’s what happened when Whole Foods opened its doors in Clark on August 7. Large crowds gathered, excited to check out the newest NJ location of the popular grocery store chain. Whole Foods makes an effort to personalize every one of its stores, and the Clark location is no exception. It has local products from around the region prominently displayed throughout the store, and customers can be expected to find plenty of NJ produce when it’s in season. The store is a full-service grocery, with meat, seafood, and cheese departments, each bearing the Whole Foods imprint. The seafood department relies on Trinity Seafood in Asbury Park, and emphasizes seafood sustainability. The meat department has its own in-house smoker, which will offer 10 varieties of bacon.
In addition to traditional grocery departments, the Clark Whole Foods offers additional goodies that customers are sure to appreciate. The bakery will offer Jersey style diner cakes, with nearly all of the baked goods done in house. The coffee and juice bar will serve up a variety of coffee drinks (in partnership with Allegro Coffee), as well as fresh pressed juices, smoothies, and matcha drinks. Matcha, which is finely ground green tea, offers a slower release of caffeine and is making its Whole Foods debut at the Clark location. Prepared foods, something that Whole Foods is especially known for, will be offered in the form of an extensive salad bar, as well as with sushi, pizza, and BBQ departments.
The Clark location also boasts its own restaurant: Clark Bar. The restaurant has 12 beers on tap, all of them craft beers from well-renowned local brewers like Carton, Kane, and Bolero Snort. One of the beers offered, Markt Saison from Kane, is exclusive to Whole Foods. The beer selection will change seasonally, and the restaurant hopes to eventually offer craft beer dinners. The restaurant, open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, serves up burgers, flatbreads, salads, and even has a kids’ menu.
Red labels throughout the store call out local products, which are available in most every department. One of the partnerships the store is most proud of is with Dan Richer, co-owner of Razza Pizza Artigianale. Razza is packaging the amazing butter served at the restaurant, and selling it exclusively at Whole Foods. Whole Foods employs a local forager, whose job is to constantly search out local food purveyors for sale at the store. A quick walk down any aisle shows that connecting with the community is something that the company takes very seriously.
At the end of the day, Whole Foods wants people to view the store as their go-to grocery store. The Clark location is personalized for the community it serves, with a real family focus, large amount of local food, and the quality standards that people have come to expect from the Whole Foods brand. Discounts and samples will be in abundance as Whole Foods welcomes people into the store, so stop by and see why the employees pride the store on offering things you won’t find anywhere else.
Whole Foods Market
1255 Raritan Road
Clark
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