WALTHAM, Mass. — Alltown Fresh, the convenience market of Global Partners LP, Waltham, Mass., has opened a new 24-hour store in Waterbury, Conn., the chain's first location in the Nutmeg State.
Among the amenities at the 4,780 square-foot market—regular and diesel fuel, outdoor seating, free Wi-Fi and phone charging stations—is a made-to-order cafe featuring fresh food and beverages. These items target organic, natural, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and locally sourced trends and are ordered via touchscreen kiosks.
"There is not one ingredient that we haven't put effort into,” said Eric Slifka, CEO of Global Partners. “At Alltown Fresh, we give our guests the ability to watch our team members as they crack an egg and cook it, take fresh bread and toast it and top it off with a little bit of avocado. We want to be known as a restaurant and a marketplace farm stand—and ultimately don't want to be doing the same thing everyone else is doing in the convenience-store space. We truly believe our guests shouldn't have to sacrifice healthy foods for convenience, and we're excited to introduce this efficient, fresh approach to the people of Connecticut starting with our Waterbury location."
Here’s a look at the new menu …
The new menu features all-day breakfast offerings, all of which are either vegetarian or gluten-free. Options include the Mindful Moroccan, a combination of slow-cooked, Tunisian-style tomato and vegetables, garbanzo beans, Greek yogurt, poached cage-free eggs and crostini; the Southwest Scramble, a mixture of scrambled cage-free eggs with cream, roasted peppers, onions, cilantro, lime, black-bean smash and salsa roja; and the Brooklyn Bliss, an everything bagel topped with chive cream cheese, Bermuda onion, sliced tomato and capers.
Alltown Fresh has loaded the menu with high-protein options and fresh salads. The protein bowls include the Happy Hipster, a combination of roasted carrots, broccoli, red peppers, zucchini squash and house-made garlic hummus; and the Chili Chicken, grilled chicken atop broccoli, red cabbage, carrots and quinoa, with Mike’s hot honey chili lime.
Curated salads include the Tuscan Sun, which is made from herb-scented ciabatta, cherry tomatoes, pickled peppers, cucumbers, red onion, fresh mozzarella, roasted garlic and fresh basil; and the Bella Fresca, which contains bulgur wheat, slow-cooked tomato, radish, cucumber, Bermuda onions, garbanzo beans and lemon mint vinaigrette.
Made-to-order beverages come in many forms at the new Alltown Fresh. The smoothies, for instance, contain fruits and vegetables, and consumers can also add in high-protein and high-fiber ingredients. Varieties include the Meet Your Matcha, a blend of banana, spinach, matcha powder, almond butter and milk; and Awake, a mixture of cold-brew coffee, banana, almond butter, cacao, honey and Greek yogurt.
The new store also offers artisan espressos such as macchiatos and iced mochas, as well as self-serve bean-to-cup coffee machines that press and brew locally roasted beans. Consumers can also purchase a variety of fountain beverages on tap, such as natural kombucha, non-GMO soda and organic juices.
Get today’s need-to-know convenience industry intelligence. Sign up to receive texts from CSP on news and insights that matter to your brand.
CSP’s Top 202 details the largest chains in the convenience-store industry and the biggest M&A stories of the past year. Welcome to a deep dive into the c-store landscape.
Category sales performance in Beverages, Candy, General Merchandise, Packaged Food/Foodservice and Snacks.
The industry’s largest distributors by sales volume
Corporate retail news affecting the convenience-store industry
The latest information on products and trends in the convenience-store and foodservice industries.
Peek inside new convenience stores to uncover the best in retail store design across North America.