Whole Foods opens Brazilian-inspired restaurant
Whole Foods Market, known for its private-branded organic offerings, has opened The Roast, a freestanding Brazilian Churrasco-inspired restaurant in Atlanta. The Roast, adjacent to a Whole Foods outlet, will offer customers fast-casual convenience combined with Whole Food’s culinary excellence and quality, according to a press release from the Austin, Texas-based company.
Every ingredient used at The Roast meets Whole Foods Market’s rigorous quality standards and is free of artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, preservatives and hydrogenated fats, according to the company.
“At Whole Foods Market, we’re always looking to innovate and try new things,” said Quentin Arndt, prepared foods coordinator for the company’s South Region. “I’m excited to open The Roast’s doors and to show Atlanta the Brazilian-inspired quick and healthy options we offer, including Chef Kevin Gillespie’s ‘Flavor of the Andes’ bowl.”
Serving lunch, dinner and drinks, The Roast complements the expansive range of freshly prepared items available at the store and represents the company’s ongoing focus on enhancing the shopping experience for customers with new culinary venues and concepts, including partnerships with talented local chefs and culinary innovators, according to a press release.
Currently, more than 250 Whole Foods Market stores, including four in Atlanta, feature quick-service restaurants, and the company operates more than 180 taprooms that offer beer, wine, spirits or a combination of all three.
According to the Motley Fool, while Whole Foods remains under pressure in the grocery game, it is continuing to expand its food offering into full-scale restaurants.
“It's a bold play for a company that has always been part eating destination and part market,” Motley Fool stated in a recent story (https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/05/26/whole-foods-is-going-into-the-restaurant-business.aspx). “Adding restaurants with wait service or even branded quick-serve choices might attract consumers to a Whole Foods when they weren't intending to shop. In theory, that could lead to impulse purchases while, of course, also adding revenue from the restaurant check.”