http://news.jacksonville.com/justin/2008/11/25/whole-foods-opening-dec-10-in-mandarin/ (http://news.jacksonville.com/justin/2008/11/25/whole-foods-opening-dec-10-in-mandarin/)
The store, located in the Mandarin Landing Shopping Center on San Jose Boulevard just one block north of I-295, will generate more than 215 new jobs in the community, according to a company news release.
Has anyone ever shopped at a Whole Foods Market? How was the food/experience?
I went to one in Orlando. Very cool place. The building in Mandarin looks great.
I used to frequent the WF at Union Square in manhattan, as well as one off Logan Circle in DC. Both were excellent, although the Union Sq location (which is a three-storey flagship) is much more impressive and much more efficient. They have something like twenty cashiers in operation, more at peak, with handlers to direct the queues. I 'm really looking forward to checking this one out, although its a little distant for me to be a regular.
I remember hearing that it wasn't supposed to open until mid-2009. Glad to see they are ahead of the original schedule.
Whole Foods is a weird place though. The decor is top notch, and they certainly carry items that a non-hippie grocery store won't have. However, the place is very expensive. It's clearly geared towards price-insensitive people.
It's kind of like the high-end department store of grocery chains. Needless markup based on an emotional sense of luxury and importance.
The Native Sun people must be scared to death. That Mandarin location is going to go out of business soon after Whole Foods opens.
Ah, Whole Paycheck. How I've missed thee. And how rarely I will ever visit since you are so very far out in the suburbs.
Quote from: copperfiend on November 25, 2008, 02:52:25 PM
I went to one in Orlando. Very cool place. The building in Mandarin looks great.
Yeah one day when I'm in the area I'll check it out. See how different from a regular grocery store they are. Mandarin is just so far away though.
Bring money.
Lots of money.
I've been to one in Atlanta and Baltimore. Awesome place, but a bit pricey. The one in Mandarin is to much of a drive for regular trips, but if I'm in the area I will probably stop by once they open.
The ones I've been to had great beer selections!
They also had a great buffet, they also offer cooking classes, etc..
Come to think of it, while I understand that downtown cannot support a whole foods, one would hope that being such a bunch of hippies WF would practice what they preach and put their first Jax locale in a walkable urban neighborhood (e.g. San Marco), and not way out in Mandarin.
Quote from: Joe on November 25, 2008, 03:35:34 PM
However, the place is very expensive. It's clearly geared towards price-insensitive people.
It's kind of like the high-end department store of grocery chains. Needless markup based on an emotional sense of luxury and importance.
The Native Sun people must be scared to death. That Mandarin location is going to go out of business soon after Whole Foods opens.
Truer words could not be spoken.
I shop there probably once a month out of convenience...but it really is tough on a student's budget. Going there is a luxury...indeed most of the other shoppers are price-insensitive.
Whole foods is good to go to every so often for the specialty items you can't find anywhere else. They have a good spice selection, gelato, and great premade food bars. It is a shame it is not in San Marco where the Publix was going to go. I am sure they will open up other stores in the area if this one is successful.
Quote from: jaxtrader on November 25, 2008, 05:52:13 PM
Come to think of it, while I understand that downtown cannot support a whole foods, one would hope that being such a bunch of hippies WF would practice what they preach and put their first Jax locale in a walkable urban neighborhood (e.g. San Marco), and not way out in Mandarin.
Just like our Urban Outfitters out in the burbs at St. Johns TC... how scary are these places?
I think they put profit over principle. I cannot blame them.
Im so excited, I stopped by to look at the progress on Sunday and its looking great! Unfortunately the weather was real bad and I didnt get a change to take any pics.
Went to the tour yesterday and previously my girlfriend had been talking about how great the others were back in Califorina but I just kinda thought to myself that it was a bunch of hullabaloo- boy was I wrong. The place looks pretty amazing. It's only 50,000sqft but they've utilized it very well. The tour was great, they gave you a bag full of goodies on the way in and kept giving out free stuff until the end.
The prices that I could see honestly didn't seem all that bad. They said for the first month there will be a huge amount of deep discounts and bogo's, looked like it from the sales tags I could see. What excited me the most was the huge dry-aged beef rack. I seriously could've just set up camp in there. The pre-prepared entree bar looked interesting as well, there were over 20 dishes from all the big food genres (indian, italian, latin, vegan and others) and I honestly don't think it's too bad for $8/lb and if the samples they gave us were any indication, it's going to be delicious. They also had a couple of huge salad bars and soups all over the store.
I honestly figured the hype was kinda dumb but now that I've been in there and seen and tasted what they had to offer, I'm actually pretty excited. They're doing free breakfast and giving away 500 goodie bags opening morning. We may go but I already know it's going to be nuts out there all day.
Only thing I absolutely do no like is how all traffic into that center is funneled through that service road. I can see it being a nasty congestion point.
Looking forward to checking it out! The Whole Foods at the Time Warner Center off Central Park in NYC is seriously the greatest grocery store that I have ever seen. Prices are pretty ridiculous, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a complete substitute for a Publix, but for certain items, there's just no comparison. Just a shame it's so damn far.
QuoteOnly thing I absolutely do no like is how all traffic into that center is funneled through that service road. I can see it being a nasty congestion point.
I thought that initially, but it seems to have stood the test of time. There have been several large retailers in addition to a movie theater (they didn't ;)) at that spot in the past.
Whole Foods brings a nice new brand to JAX & as much as I love The Fresh Market, they can't relocate to Julington Creek fast enough.........BTW, why did Harris Teeter fail in that area?
I'm thrilled to see an alternative in Whole Foods for natural/organic foods in Jacksonville. Publix actually has stores down south called Greenwise, the store brand for organic foods. Whether they ever move up here is anyone's guess, but if Whole Foods does good up here, it's possible =)
Publix is selling the Greenwise brand within the stores locally...
The store looked packed at 8:00 this morning.
Quote from: Jason on December 10, 2008, 10:45:11 AM
The store looked packed at 8:00 this morning.
That is good. I will probably try and check it out this evening. If this is successful, I could definitely see more.
I have to think that if they expand again, it will be near Ponte Vedra.
I'm going to be stopping by in about an hour- maybe I'll avoid the afternoon crush.
I just got out of there. I hate to be a freeloader, but, in this economy I can't pass up sample day! The place is asses & elbows. The employees were friendly & knowledgeable. Plenty of good stuff to try & great grand opening discounts - esp. on wine(s). The managers were huddled in the corner high-fiving & calling out numbers. I'd be surprised if they didn't exceed their objectives (just like the stores @ SJTC). What bad economy(?) After walking through the pre-cooked area, I'm not sure that I'll eat anywhere else.
It was a bit too crazy for me. Rude ass people trying to rush free samples of crackers. I'll go back in a couple of weeks when the crowds have gone and I can enjoy it more but I did like what I saw and yes, the prepared foods look amazing.
I have never been to a WF, but it seems at first glance to be a rip off. Give me Winn-Dixie any day.
BTW, a good chef can do far more with W-D ingredients than an average one can do with WF ingredients. It is all what you make of it. ;)
One question: Is this in the old Mandarin Landing Publix location?
Yes this is the old Publix in mandarin by the 295 exit. We went to the opening last night and it was jam packed. It was very nicely laid out and very good looking but everything was pricey. But of course I made my rounds at the free samples and filled up doing that. The only thing is I don't like the entrance way of getting into that area, just not set up right.
Get out your check book this place isn't cheap but the food is so worth it.
Regards,
Tom
I have two friends who started working there and it sounds pretty awesome.
Supposedly the roof has some form of reflective panels that reflect the sun in summer and absorb it in the winter. It also has huge rainwater storage tanks that are used to water the surrounding plants. I also think some of the interior and exterior was designed using old railway ties from the area.
It is the type of store that supports a healthy environmental lifestyle and I feel those individuals don’t mind spending a little extra at a store that caters to them.
I know I will make a trip out there to do some shopping soon.
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=11058144&ch=4226723&src=news
Whole Foods #1 healthiest. And the guy totally says Harris Twitter instead of Teeter.
Quote from: RiversideGator on December 11, 2008, 11:06:45 AM
I have never been to a WF, but it seems at first glance to be a rip off. Give me Winn-Dixie any day.
BTW, a good chef can do far more with W-D ingredients than an average one can do with WF ingredients. It is all what you make of it. ;)
Yeah, unfortunately as an average chef, I'm better off with WF.
Quote from: copperfiend on November 26, 2008, 07:40:49 AM
I think they put profit over principle. I cannot blame them.
Indeed they do. Have people not heard the story about their CEO?
He went online (anonymously) to investment website forums, and used insider information to trash other companies. Companies that he intended to buy once their stock prices fell. It was an impressive scandal.
I'm not sure what happened to him, but I think he somehow avoided jail.
Quote from: BridgeTroll on December 09, 2008, 02:59:42 PM
Publix is selling the Greenwise brand within the stores locally...
Yes, but they have single stores that sell nothing but Greenwise. Those stores offer much more in quantity, variety, etc..
Living in Austin one can imagine being surrounded by Whole Foods. The one I like is on the site of the first whole foods and is home to the corp. headquaters. Yes, is is 250% over done, but everybody seems to enjoy it. I dont the small stores, the bigger the whole foods the better. how does this one in jacksonville compare in size to the others? Does anybody know?
Drove by the store for the first time today. I really like the exterior look of the store. You can tell they put a lot into the design.
my wife stopped in a picked a quick lunch she was impressed so i am sure at some point we will make the jaunt over there and do some shopping.
Quote from: gatorback on December 12, 2008, 09:39:51 AM
Does anybody know?
Ours is small, 50K sqft. It doesn't feel cramped though, the grocery aisles are a tad narrow but they left the areas that are going to make them the most money (the fresh fish/meat/cheese and prepared foods) wide open.
Im in love.......
I just dropped $16 on lunch there - owee. It's $7.99 per pound & I couldn't decide......................
This is one of the largest I have been in; of course most I have frequented were in urban core areas so not a lot of space available. The New Orleans store is my fav...but this one was pretty good. I ran into several Springfield neighbors out there, one even admitted to being there for the 3rd time that week! Not everything is expensive, I mean I bought the premade falafels and tahini for $4.00, that was like eight falafels...I spend more than that on one sandwich in Riverside and these were much, much better. In fact everything is much, much better at whole foods so I don’t mind paying a little more for good quality. My only beef is it is waaaay out in the suburbs.
The thing with Whole Foods is that it is as expensive as you let it be. Obviously, the prepared stuff is going to be pricey, though on the whole, delish. I was a regular WF shopper 10+ years ago when I was a fairly broke student living in a city where it was the closest grocery store, and found that if you stuck to the house brands, sale items, bulk bins and in-season produce it could be a reasonable place to shop. That said, I haven't had a chance to check out the new store yet to see if this still holds true. On a somewhat related note, the canvas grocery bag that I bought at the Durham Whole Foods/Wellspring Grocery in 1996 is still going strong! :D
I'm a foodie, so I love a good grocery store.
But do I love Whole Foods enough to drive all the way out to Mandarin? Nope.
YAY! I am so excited! I cannot wait. I love shopping there. There is so many things that they carry that are not available anywhere else!
Hey guys - this is an old thread! It opened already - LAST DECEMBER. Go there now & enjoy! ;)