Giant Food to open its 1st in-store fast-casual restaurant

Giant Food is blurring the lines between grocery and restaurant.

The Landover, Maryland-based grocery retailer on Friday  will  debut its first in-store fast-casual restaurant. Maryland-based restaurant chain Nalley Fresh will now have a restaurant inside Giant Food's Ellicott City, Maryland, store, the company announced on Thursday.

"We are thrilled to bring Nalley Fresh to our Ellicott City store and provide our customers with an unbeatable one-stop shopping experience," said Gregg Dorazio, director of e-commerce at Giant Food, in a statement. "We know our customers will enjoy the convenient, healthy and delicious meal offerings, and we're proud to welcome this local concept right in-store at Giant."

The in-store restaurant counter, which will be open daily from 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m., will feature Nalley Fresh items such as wraps, bowls and customizable salad.

With over one hundred different topping options including dressings, sauces and broths, shoppers at the Ahold Delhaize banner can customize meals or a dish designed by Nalley Fresh founder and chef Greg Nalley himself.

“We are very excited to partner with a local brand like Giant Food to provide the Nalley Fresh experience for their customers," said Nalley. "We look forward to providing nutritious, delicious food that is backed up by premier customer service in a friendly and fun atmosphere."

Nalley Fresh opened in 2011, after Chef Nally received a life-changing cancer diagnosis in 2001 that inspired him to pursue his longtime dream of running his own restaurant.

Giant Food's partnership with Nalley Fresh marks the restaurant chain's 10th location. The new location will be able to fulfill third-party delivery orders through DoorDash and UberEats, Giant Food announced.

Giant Food was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1936 and now operates 165 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.