Dive Brief:
- Hy-Vee announced Tuesday plans to transition all its in-store restaurants to a revamped Market Grille concept, effectively ending Wahlburgers’ reign in the grocer’s locations.
- This next phase of Hy-Vee’s in-store restaurant operations, which will take place throughout February, includes shuttering all 79 Wahlburgers locations.
- Post-transition, Hy-Vee will operate 221 Market Grille and Market Grille Express locations across its grocery stores.
Dive Insight:
This isn't the first time the Midwestern grocer has refreshed its in-store restaurant concepts.
In 2020, Hy-Vee announced switching over 21 Market Grille locations to Wahlburgers restaurants and, for nearly five years, operated both restaurant concepts across its store fleet, the spokesperson said.
All in-store restaurants will introduce new menus, bringing back customer favorites from the original Market Grille menu and offering lower prices than Wahlburgers’ Hy-Vee menu, a Hy-Vee spokesperson said.
The new Market Grille menus include breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Popular items, including Market Grille burgers and hash browns, will return, while offerings like wings and wontons remain. The spokesperson noted that the current menus’ “selection wasn’t popular among shoppers” for both restaurants.
The new menus will also be more affordable, with a price point between $5 and $14, the spokesperson said.
The new breakfast menu will roll out to all in-store restaurants by Feb. 4, followed by the updated lunch and dinner menus in mid-February.
Hy-Vee does not plan to lay off employees as part of this transition process, adding that staffers are currently being trained on the new menu. The grocer is also not closing any stores during the transition period, which will include bringing in new signage and decor during the store’s “off hours,” according to the spokesperson.
