My Obsession with Wegmans, Part 1

I never thought I would actually fall in love with a grocery store. Prior to Wegman’s, they were just functional places that I needed to go to get groceries. Sure, like any shopper, I could pick up a few added extras from time to time, but usually grocery shopping meant lamenting the long lines.

But then I met Wegmans. Even though it only seems like it’s been a couple of summers, the reality is that we first met in the fall of 2010. What I do remember is that the first few times I went in there, I didn’t make it out of the fresh food and bakery section. The first time I actually went in there to shop, I remember I was looking for pasta. Instead of opting to browse the aisles, I studied the aisle directory and tried to put blinders on to get to where I needed to be. Little did I know that the store had a bulk loose candy/nut section, and further did I not know that it was on the way to the pasta. I remember physically stopping short and just staring at the vast array of bins in front of me which held everything from individually wrapped Snickers to chocolate covered sunflower seeds.

I made it out of there that day with just the pasta and a promise—to return and browse at leisure. This was actually no easy feat since I was due to be a new mommy in a few more weeks. But eventually a break came and I was able to explore at leisure. And it’s been a love affair ever since.

For those of you who don’t have a Wegman’s near you, I would encourage you to take a vacation in a town that has one. I promise you won’t need to go anywhere for anything else. Wegman’s is built for everyone.

For the person on the go. You could be a commuter, a college student, someone on a lunch break, or a busy mom with the hot/fresh food section. At the very first stop in the section (at least the one located in Woodmore), you come to the coffee bar. In the morning the coffee bar sells made-to-order breakfast sandwiches or oatmeal. The breakfast ends at 11am, but coffee is available all day, and you can even get ice cream from here.

Move a few more steps ahead and you come to the deli, where you can a full selection of sandwiches and subs, hot or cold. Only two words for this section: everything bread!

Traverse a few more steps and you can get hot pizza or calzones. Both of these stops offer combo meals where you can add a drink. But that’s only the beginning.

Whoever heard of grocery store having four different hot food stations? But that’s exactly what you get at Wegmans. To be fair, there is a cold salad bar station, but who wants salad when you have a wing bar? Yes. I said wing BAR. The bar has at least six different flavors at any given time. My personal favorites are the lemon pepper fried and the Old Bay flavored (you have to be an Atlantic Coaster to know about this). Added to the wing bar is the Asian hot food station, which is separated from the Indian, and the Southern/home food station. And they also have a soup station.

But that’s not all. How about you can get freshly rolled sushi from Wegmans? Yes, I said fresh, because several times a day, you can see the sushi chefs (is that the right term?) actually make the rolls. And they have the option of the raw or the cooked.

Yet and still, that’s not all. Wegmans has a burger bar. And I’m telling you, Wegman’s has one of the best burgers I have EVER tasted. The patties are hand-pressed and seasoned, and cooked to order. They come with either French fries or onions and the damned bar even has the nerve to sell old fashioned shakes, which I am both proud and ashamed that I have not tried.

I was naïve enough to believe I could talk about this place in one sitting. More tomorrow.