HIGHLAND VILLAGE — Shoppers are ready to explore the new Whole Foods Market in Highland Village during a grand opening on Wednesday, and store managers will greet them with new concepts at the grocery store company’s first Denton County location.
Austin-based Whole Foods, operating in the increasingly competitive food store environment, believes its southern Denton County customers are looking for customized service and unique dishes. The 38,000-square-foot store opens this week at The Shops at Highland Village, at the corner of FM407 and FM2499.
Whole Foods’ Highland Village location will have to compete in the specialty and natural food niches with Market Street and Sprouts, which both have locations in Flower Mound. It’ll also face competition from lower-cost grocery stores such as Kroger, Tom Thumb and Walmart just down the street on FM407.
Kate Neu, a Whole Foods marketing coordinator, said the company will distinguish itself by catering to the community’s “foodie flair.”
The new store boasts more than 1,500 local products. It’ll also have a sushi station with made-to-order rolls, an olive bar, an in-store smokehouse and a pizza oven. A “candy island” will be located next to a children’s sitting area.
Neu’s favorite parts of the store will be the sausage stand, bar and coffee areas.
“I think each of those areas have team members super dedicated to their craft,” Neu said. “You’re talking about butchers who hand-make the product that you see. They’re passionate about it, can answer questions for you and help you discover something new. I love talking to our baristas who are really into craft coffee and offer a bean profile.”
At every Whole Foods store, butchers create unique and custom store sausages. The Highland Village store’s handmade sausage counter will be the first to offer 25 varieties. It’ll also have a sausage suggestion box so guests can request flavors and share family recipes.
“Everyone loves to grill out, but this community especially loves picnics and the lakeside atmosphere,” Neu said. “It’s something that I’m looking forward to enjoying, and I know our team members are too.”
Whole Foods is trying to include bar areas in its new stores, where customers can enjoy local beers and other drinks.
The Highland Village Whole Foods will be one of the first stores to feature a collaboration between Dallas brewery Four Corners Brewing and Fort Worth’s Holy Kombucha, which makes kombucha, a nonalcoholic fermented beverage made from tea.
A few other locations have tried the beer kombucha, or “beerbucha” as Neu called it, but the Highland Village location will carry it in a dedicated beerbucha tap.
The bar’s remaining taps will feature local beers including brews from Justin’s Rabbit Hole Brewing, Denton’s Armadillo Aleworks and Dallas’ Community Brewing.
The bar will also have wine. Everything purchased in the bar area must be consumed there.
Neu said the store plans to offer “tap takeovers” — showcase events when a local brewery takes over all of the taps. She said the special events could include cheese and beer pairings and perhaps even sausage pairings.
Every Whole Foods location has its own graphic artist and a marketing team leader. The Highland Village store’s graphic artist, Tristan Tanner, does all the design work, including all posters in the store. He also does all of the chalk work on menu boards.
The beer menu in the bar area will note whether a brew is local, its ABV (alcohol by volume) measurement, and its IBU (international bittering units) number, which indicates how bitter it is.
Next to the menu are names for the store’s “Buy Your Buddy a Beer” program.
“If I know that a friend is going to be going to the bar later and I’m there the day before, I’m going to buy them a beer,” Neu said.
Once your buddy purchases the beer, your name goes on the board. The next time you visit the store, you can claim that beer.
“It’s really cool,” Neu said. “That’s one of my favorite things [about Whole Foods].”
The location will have Whole Foods’ first cornbread station, with various sweet and savory flavors available.
“There will be a tossup on what I have for breakfast on opening day,” said Karen Lukin, Whole Foods’ Dallas spokeswoman. “I can’t decide between the bacon flavor and salted caramel cornbreads.”
Ricky Sanchez, 24, just graduated from the University of North Texas. He will be working in the specialty department slicing cheese and counting money.
“I’m excited for the produce department; I’m pretty much a vegetarian,” he said.
Sanchez is also excited about the bar area and beer selection — particularly his favorite selection in the store, Armadillo Aleworks’ Quakertown Stout.
Employees aren’t the only people enthusiastic about the store opening.
“I love seeing the faces of people when they come in the door — it’s like watching as people enter Disneyland,” Lukin said. “This community has been begging for a Whole Foods, and people are really excited that the store is opening in Highland Village.”
IF YOU GO
What: Whole Foods Market grand opening
Opening ceremony: Bread-breaking ceremony starts at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, and the Marcus High School Band will play prior to the ceremony.
Doors open: Shopping begins at 8 a.m.
Freebies: Coffee and pastries for the early birds. First 500 guests get a reusable shopping bag.
