BROOKFIELD, Wis. -- V. Richard's Market here is expanding its in-store kitchen to sharpen its edge in fresh prepared foods.
ct currently underway. Most of that addition will be utilized as kitchen space, said Elizabeth Little, co-owner.
The renovated store, which also will feature a new coffee and wine bar, will have a grand reopening the first week in June.
With 40% more space for food production, V. Richard's will be able to boost its fresh foods image by offering more variety and more unique products, Little said. The company makes all its prepared foods from scratch.
Efficiencies borne of the larger food prep space also will allow the company to be more flexible and faster in responding to what customers want, she added.
"For example, the limited space in the kitchen now requires us to stick to a very tight production schedule. We make meatloaf, for instance, on Tuesday and Friday. When we have more space to work in we don't have to stick to it so closely. If we run out of meatloaf on Thursday morning, we could make more," Little explained.
The company's increased dedication to the variety of prepared foods offered in the service deli -- and to perked up merchandising of them -- has already helped offset a plunge in sales of self-service entrees and sides, Little said.
Total deli sales are now up 15% from this time last year, Little said, but about a year ago, V. Richard's sales of grab-and-go entrees had begun to dwindle and soon snowballed into a 50% decrease.
