Whole Foods Market hopes to have its new flagship store in downtown Denver open Nov. 15 ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the organic and natural grocery chain announced Monday.
The downtown supermarket is expected to feature two standalone restaurants, outdoor seating, a juice bar, coffee station, poke and ceviche bar and free parking, Altogether, the 50,000-square-foot store is set to employ 210 workers including 75 from the store Whole Foods is closing in Capitol Hill.
Yes, the Whole Foods opening at 1701 Wewatta St. spells the end, at least temporarily, for the grocer's location at 900 E. 11th Ave. The Austin, Texas-based grocer is holding on to the lease for the Cap Hill location but has not announced what is planned to replace the store.
A Whole Foods spokeswoman told Denverite last week that the Cap Hill store will close the Sunday before the new store opens. But the company did not immediately confirm on Monday that Nov. 12 was the closing date.
The new store will offer "extensive grab-and-go options for busy professionals on their lunch breaks, commuters on their way home or to the airport and families looking for quick, healthy dinner options," Whole Foods announced Monday.
The grocer also revealed that it will house a second restaurant at the new location, Tel Aviv Street Food. The Israeli-style pita sandwiches shop is run by the Denver-based U Baron Group which owns and runs Izzio Bakery and Etai’s Bakery Cafe.
Last month, Whole Foods announced Denver-based Birdcall would be selling chicken sandwiches and have a bar at the new store under the Friends of Whole Foods Market program.
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Business & data reporter Adrian D. Garcia can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/adriandgarcia.
