Visionaries beget visions; it’s simply the way of new innovations. Bob Mariano, the brain behind the Kroger-owned chain Mariano’s, is wielding a $10 million investment to build Dom’s Market & Kitchen, a “next-generation” grocery store chain that combines shopping, restaurant dining, and home delivery.
“Dom’s will be a neighborhood destination where consumers can drop in several times per week, explore new foods, watch the cooking process in open preparation areas, participate in a wine tasting class, dine in, or take home prepared foods or cooking ingredients,” said Jay Owen, who is partnering with Bob Mariano and Don Fitzgerald on the new venture, in a statement obtained by Crain’s Chicago Business.
The $10 million investment funding the new grocery chain was provided by Chicago-based venture capital firms Valor Siren Ventures and Cleveland Avenue—the latter of which is led by former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, a major investor in Beyond Meat. A mighty group of investors supporting Dom’s Market & Kitchen’s spells out ground-breaking innovation to me.
The news report explained that Dom’s Market & Kitchen will consist of small-format stores spanning urban neighborhoods and offering a variety of grocery and specialty food items, including meal kits, take-home meals, and dine-in meals prepared in an open kitchen. Grocery goods and meal kits will be available for delivery.
The chain, which is slated for a March 2021 opening, will kick off at a yet-to-be announced location in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area.
Exciting times ahead for the retail industry! Keep reading Deli Market News as we cover the latest.