Kroger opening restaurant

The nation’s second-largest grocery chain is getting into the restaurant business. Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. is opening Kitchen 1883 in late October in Union, Ky.

Kitchen 1883 offers a fresh take on new American comfort food, according to Kroger’s Culinary Development team, which designed the concept.

“With Kitchen 1883, our goal is to create a gathering place that offers a genuinely delicious place to relax and experience our food," said Daniel Hammer, Kroger's vice president of Culinary Development and New Business. "The restaurant will feature a made-from-scratch menu, hand-crafted cocktails and a community-centered atmosphere."

In a conference call last week, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said Kroger was “working to redefine the market as share of stomach rather than share of among traditional grocery stores.”

“We know that the massive $1.5 trillion U.S. food market creates a unique and sustainable growth opportunity for Kroger,” McMullen said. “You’ll see changes in the way we go to market as a leading indicator of the lens from which we view our market. We see anyone who sells food as competitors in the future. … We are reprioritizing and accelerating investments in our customer in order to anticipate and meet rapidly evolving consumer demands to shop with us for anything, anytime and anywhere.”

Clearly, Kitchen 1883 is part of that vision.

According to Kroger, Kitchen 1883's menu is a melting pot of American and international flavors. The restaurant will operate daily offering lunch and dinner along with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

The restaurant’s name is a take on when Kroger began in grocery in 1883.