Hy-Vee details plans for new food courts
May 22, 2019
Hy-Vee is swapping its full-service restaurants for fast-casual formats at three Sioux Falls grocery stores.
The full-service Market Grilles will become Market Grille Expresses, and the reduced size will allow Hy-Vee to build out more food options in what it calls a food court-style format.
The emphasis is on made-to-order meals for carry-out, take-and-heat and dine-in meals that are checked out at a central station.
The changes are coming to the Sioux Falls stores on South Minnesota Avenue, at 26th Street and Sycamore Avenue, and at 26th and Marion Road.
All three locations will have a Mia Pizza, a concept where customers select from a variety of ingredients to create a customized pizza, which is baked in a wood-fired stone oven and ready in six minutes. The pizza dough is made each morning in the Hy-Vee bakery and pressed fresh for each order.
They also will have a Market Grille Express, where customers walk up to a pay station or self-order kiosk and order breakfast, lunch and dinner items, including burgers, appetizers and The Cheesecake Factory desserts.
The full-service bars will remain along with TVs.
The Sycamore Avenue store also will receive a hibachi food court station, where customers can order off a menu or build their own bowl of noodles, proteins, vegetables, sauces and seasonings.
The other food stations at the stores, which include sushi, salad bars, Hickory House and Asian, will remain.
The other Hy-Vee locations in Sioux Falls already have a Market Grille Express instead of a full-service restaurant, and that won’t change.
The decision to transfer away from full-service restaurants is “to provide multiple quick-service meal options to meet our customers’ needs,” the company said in a statement.
Construction on the locations receiving the new food court format will be done this summer and finish in the fall. Some of the work will be done overnight to minimize customer impact, Hy-Vee said.