Bar Opens in the Ralphs Fresh Fare Downtown Los Angeles

[steps]

"Yes, the grocery store at 645 W. Ninth St. now features a bar, dubbed Elevate, which opened last month. Though brighter than many other area drinking spots, the Ralphs wine and beer bar (no hard liquor is served) offers a variety of grapes and suds."

More from: http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/bar- ... fd236.html

I think this is a first for any super market in California. I occasionally shop at this store but haven't been since the store was fully remodeled. It's in an "expensive, urban area", but being so close to skid row, there are A LOT of homeless around. I wonder if this will work out and expand into a new format for other grocery stores here.

[storewanderer]

There is a Frys in Scottsdale (in a former Smiths) that has an in-store bar in what looks like a similar configuration. Also the Frys Signature Marketplace at Tatum/Shea has an in store wine tasting area not quite in the same configuration.

The Whole Foods here in Reno has a small room off to the front of the store, when the store opened it was a room for cooking classes but more recently they converted the space into a taphouse.

[klkla]

I think this is a first for any super market in California.

Actually the Gelson's in Long Beach has had one since it opened in November 2013. They also have a rooftop patio where you can watch the boats in the harbor and they were planning to add a bar up there, too.

http://ktla.com/2013/11/08/new-gelsons- ... ar-inside/

[Brian Lutz]

The recent remodel/expansion of the Downtown Bellevue QFC (which seems to be the flagship store for the chain) added a wine and beer bar (called Cork & Tap) to the store as well. They have a number of beers on tap (both to drink in store and foll growlers) as well as wines and Kombucha.

[luckysaver]

some supermarkets especially on the east coast have a service called "Growler Fill" - where shoppers bring in their reusuable beer containers to get refilled from a large in-store keg. Kroger calls them 'Krowlers".

One of Kroger's brand new beer/wine bars that just opened a few days ago

http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article- ... ermit.html

[CalItalian]

The bar and tasting area at Ralphs Fresh Fare in Westwood Village across the street from UCLA opened a couple of weeks ago. First few times, I saw nobody in it. Yesterday, it was overflowing with customers (drinks are mostly $6-$10). More than twice the size of the Downtown L.A. Ralphs bar...