Dive Brief:
- Walmart plans to grow the number of its locations that have in-store poke restaurants through its partnership with Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar.
- Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar will begin opening its fast-food-style poke bars inside the retailer’s stores across the country starting with the rollout of 10 new locations throughout California over the next 5 months, according to a December press release.
- The expansion of the poke restaurant at Walmart comes at a time when retailers are adding more made-to-order and ready-to-eat foodservice offerings to meet consumers’ hunger for food-for-now options.
Dive Insight:
Walmart customers can expect “a new modern look” for the Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar’s upcoming Walmart locations as well as exclusive menu items.
“Growing up in Hawai’i, Walmart has always become a gathering point for locals, tourists, and families alike. There is the sense of community and a creation of nostalgia for everyone that visits its stores,” Raymond Reyes, co-founder and chief operating officer of Uncle Sharkii, said in a statement.
Walmart and Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar announced their partnership in August, noting that their tie-up will make affordable and healthy poke bowls available to a wider audience and tap into the retailer’s desire to support small businesses as well as provide foodservice options.
The fast-food franchise chain, which celebrated its first anniversary in March, has more than a dozen locations across California, Utah, Hawaii and Texas. Three are inside Walmart stores in California.
In early October, Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar held its grand opening at a Walmart store in Vacaville, marking the first in-store location for the chain with the retailer. The menu at the Vacaville store includes poke bowls with fresh seafood, vegetarian and fully cooked options as well as milk teas.
Later that month, the chain arrived at a Walmart store in Roseville. At the end of December, Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar posted on Instagram that it opened a location inside a Walmart in Galt.
On its website, Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar lists 11 locations inside of Walmart as “coming soon” with three in Utah and eight in California.
Uncle Sharkii marks the latest restaurant chain tie-up for Walmart. Previously, the retailer has opened in-store locations and kiosks with McDonald’s, Subway, Charleys Philly Steaks, Domino’s, Taco Bell and even one now-closed Wendy’s location in Ohio, Food & Wine reported.
In a similar move, grocers such as Giant Food and Dom’s Kitchen & Market have cooked up in-store, made-to-order stations with restaurants to nab consumers’ food-for-now meal dollars.
