Changes Coming to Your Delis
The Wheatsville Co-op deli has a whole new deli concept in the works! Old favorites, new twists and faster service are coming soon.
by Bill Bickford, General Manager
In the two decades-plus that I have had the privilege of being both a customer and manager at the co-op, our delis have always been a core component of our identity—the thing people most closely associate with our brand. When I introduce myself to new people and mention that I work at Wheatsville, their first response is invariably a comment about one of our unique deli products, such as our world-famous Popcorn Tofu or our vegan donuts, among others. These iconic menu items have been a huge part of our draw over the years, keeping folks coming in week after week.
Attempting to relaunch these deli favorites coming out of the pandemic has been something of a struggle, as regular shoppers will almost certainly have noticed. Over the past year, we have seen major shifts in product costs, sales patterns, and our ability to staff food service positions. This has forced us to make some temporary adjustments, such as suspending menu items and reducing counter service hours. We want to avoid this in the future, so we took a hard look at our menu. What we have found is that some of our deli menu offerings make very little economic sense. Co-ops put people over profit, but we still need profit to be a sustainable business!
This puts your co-op in a tough position. We have several menu items that are deeply held favorites, but don’t provide what the co-op needs to cover costs. In an environment characterized by significant upward wage pressure, rapidly rising costs, and fierce competition for workers, we ultimately have no choice but to consider some menu changes.
“faster for customers and easier for staff”
Behind the scenes, your co-op’s management staff have been hard at work developing an entirely new approach to our deli counter. This new program will include several long-standing, familiar favorites presented in new and exciting ways that we simply can’t wait to show you! We believe the end result will be service that is significantly faster for customers and easier for staff to execute. While I cannot offer more details than that today, I am beyond excited to do so very soon!
That said, I would be remiss not to note that these exciting changes will also come with some inevitable sense of loss. Some of the menu offerings you have grown accustomed to over the years must be retired or take a new form in order for us to grow something new. My ask is that co-op owners and customers give these new menu items a try or two—They might just be your new favorites.
Our sincere hope is that, when we have completed this project, we will have a deli that delights our shoppers while also being more economically sustainable and simpler for our staff to execute. I look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks.