New restaurant, juice bar & prepared foods department highlighted with Uptown neighborhood touches

By Anthony King | SDUN Editor

Whole Foods Market recently completed a remodel of their Hillcrest location, and employees are getting set for a grand celebration. In the business’s 16 years in Uptown, this is by far the largest – and most extensive – remodel.

Marketing Supervisor Ray Kau said the remodel was a big change for the store, and designers strived to keep the integrity of the neighborhood in tact through several elements. Around the inside perimeter, images and artistic renderings of several iconic Uptown images and streets were incorporated.

“We are a unique and diverse neighborhood, and we get such strong support from Hillcrest and the surrounding communities,” Kau said. “We really want to recognize and call that out within the store.”

The design includes graphics that refer to the store’s season and organic produce, as well as images that reflect the neighborhood’s feel. The store is located at 711 University Ave.

“We have a huge bike path grid graphic at our entry because we are such a non-auto focused community around here,” Kau said. The store also provides a designated bicycle repair station in the parking lot, as well as an electric car recharging station.

“That reflects the spirit and feeling of the neighborhood,” Kau said.

Along with the design elements, the prepared foods department saw some of the most change, with expanded cases and streamlined availability to customers. Kau said the expansion gave them the opportunity to offer 60 to  70 percent more prepared-food product, with a large portion coming from local vendors.

“We have over 100 local suppliers that sell their products in our stores,” he said. “That whole sense of being connected to our community is critical for us.”

In addition to a larger coffee bar, and organized bakery and deli departments, Kau said the store also implemented new programs, including an aged-meats program in the meat department, a scratch-bakery program – where employees now make all bread in house – and a pour-over coffee program.

Kau said one of the busiest additions was the store’s fresh juice bar, and he is particularly excited about the opening of the location’s new restaurant, the 7th Ave Pub.

Signifying a new venture for both Hillcrest as well as Whole Foods Markets, the full service restaurant serves a selection of food off a set menu that includes soups, sandwiches, tacos, salads and sushi, among others. There are over 32 beers available, as well as a selection of wines.

To help launch the pub as well as the entire store’s remodel, Kau said they will be hosting a “grand reopening 16th anniversary celebration.” The weeklong celebration starts Friday, April 5 and will include a cake cutting, live music and a beer tasting at the new pub.

The beer-tasting event will be Friday from 4 – 6 p.m., and Kau said he was inviting the community to take part. On Saturday at noon, Council President Todd Gloria will participate in several activities out the outside patio, including the cake cutting.

Kau said the response from the community has been overwhelming so far, and customers are enjoying the new amenities once they get acclimated to the new space.

In part to show support for the location’s remodel, Whole Foods Market co-CEO John Mackey traveled to San Diego from the corporation’s Austin, Texas base. Kau said there was “a lot of energy” for Whole Foods Market in San Diego County, as the company has opened two additional stores, in addition to remodels at the Hillcrest and La Jolla locations.