TYSONS, VA - Whole Foods Market is a grocer known for innovation, and while the retailer has been testing smaller-format stores, it is not a singular direction. The grocer recently opened a new store on the East Coast that is the largest it has built in the region. Located in Tysons, Virginia, the new flagship store will contain all the usual bells and whistles of its other stores, but with even more features to offer consumers.

“We’re thrilled to expand our presence in the DC Metro area with the opening of our newest store in Northern Virginia,” said Carl DePree, Store Team Leader. “We look forward to providing the community—including residents and those coming through the transportation hub of Tysons Corner—with access to an expansive selection of fresh and innovative offerings, high quality food and drink options from many local partners, as well as a space to gather with friends and enjoy a meal or a drink at High Point, our in-store pub and game room.”

The 70,000 square-foot store will feature fresh produce, grocery items from local suppliers, a pub and game room, and a food hall offering a range of culinary experiences from Friends of Whole Foods Market Partners, a press release stated.

All of the locally-sourced foods, natural and organic grocery items, and grab-and-go prepared foods will meet Whole Foods’ rigorous quality standards, which prohibit high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and hydrogenated fats.

Some of the store’s offerings and features include:

• Fresh produce department featuring seasonal fruits and vegetables, along with selections from several local growers of categories including apples, squash, and mums
• A self-serve pineapple coring machine
• JRINK, a full-service juice bar serving up superfood smoothies using Apothékary herbal blends, smoothie bowls, cold-pressed juices, and other functional tonics
• Prepared foods, including sandwiches, pizza, house-made tandoori Indian cuisine, salads, hot entrées, barbecue, and a full-service deli for charcuterie
• Thousands of locally-sourced products from suppliers across Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC

The new store’s food hall includes a variety of tempting options, including:

• Officina: Founded by Michelin Star Chef Nicholas Stefanelli, the eatery offers modern interpretations of classic Italian food, with a focus on pastries and pasta, such as bucatini all'amatriciana, handmade beef ravioli, and polpette-veal meatballs with tomato and parmigiano
• Genji Izakaya: Serves an Izakaya-style menu featuring sushi, poke, dumplings, and various ramen bowls, including a new spicy “angry chicken ramen”
• Curiosity Doughnuts: The brainchild of the creative duo, Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot, Curiosity Doughnuts offers all 11 different dough styles to create daily-made, flavor-obsessed doughnuts
• Rappahannock Oyster Co.: A Virginia-based company that serves its very own farm-raised oysters, with a mission to celebrate good food grown well. The eatery features Rappahannock’s signature crab cakes and Barcat Oyster Chowder, along with non-seafood offerings, including salad and the company’s highly lauded Rapp Burger

This merging of fresh and foodservice, all in an enormous location, positions Whole Foods Market as a major competitor in the Mid-Atlantic region. Will there be other grocers who will move in on the region with their own behemoth stores? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.

Whole Foods Market