Lucky Rebrands, Readies to Open Flagship Store

Lucky California, part of The Save Mart Cos., is slated to open its newly remodeled flagship store on May 12 in Pleasanton, Calif. In addition to an extensive remodel, the store has been rebranded from Lucky to Lucky California.

The flagship location will also serve as the company’s innovation lab, offering a variety of dynamic food and beverage experiences, celebrating local Tri-Valley purveyors and producers, and featuring produce from the heart of the agriculture-rich Central Valley. The neighboring Lucky California stores in Livermore, Dublin and San Ramon will celebrate the opening of this remodeled store, the company said.

“It is with great pleasure that we reopen our Pleasanton store and welcome back our guests,” said Mario Guerrero, store director of Pleasanton Lucky California, in a release. “We are proudly your neighborhood grocery store where we offer an amazing assortment of food and unique solutions, from staples to local and diverse flavors, all at low prices and all intended to make shopping and food enjoyment exciting again.”   

Based on communications from the company, the new flagship will have a strong retail foodservice focus. The Eatery will offer an array of prepared foods from tri-tip barbecue and juicy burgers to customizable noodle and rice bowls to familiar comfort foods. Global cuisine is also on tap here, including fusion burritos with savory Indian, Chinese and Korean sauces.

Related:Save Mart’s Central Valley Sensation

Lucky California says everything in The Eatery will be made fresh, and meals can be enjoyed at the outdoor patio.

The Drinkery is where guests can pick up their morning coffee or juice, an afternoon lemonade or smoothie, or an after-work beer or glass of local Livermore Valley wine. The selections are designed to pair with food from The Eatery, and signature cocktails, including shandies, sangria and more.

Another innovative feature of the store is The Entertaining Island, which the grocer calls “a finger-food nirvana and the perfect place to find delicious bites for entertaining or everyday enjoying.” The team at the Entertaining Island will help guests create their own social media-worthy charcuterie and cheese boards from an array of meat and cheeses, including local selections. There’s also custom-made dips, salsa, guacamole and hummus, olives, antipasto, and fresh-cut herbs, fruit and veggies, and all priced to fit every budget, the company said.

For guests looking for inspiration, The Demo Station will feature interactive cooking demonstrations meant to be fun and easy for home chefs of every level. Guests are invited to watch the demo, then grab the ingredients they need to recreate the recipe at home. The Demo Station will offer premade sauces and sides, and meal kit solutions complete with premeasured, precut ingredients.

At the Meat & Seafood Grill, shoppers can call upon Lucky California’s “Grill Boss” to help prepare the evening’s meal. The Grill Boss is a master griller well-versed in fresh ingredients, local flavor profiles and the art of choosing and preparing meat, seafood and poultry, the company said.

The Grill Boss can provide recommendations on everything from selecting the right cut to seasoning and marinating. Guests can choose from a huge selection of quality meat and seafood or have a selection cut to order and grilled on the spot. Whether seasoning, marinating and grilling a single steak, multiple chicken breasts or a whole fish, the Meat & Seafood Grill helps guests save meal preparation time while serving up fresh options for a single meal or meals for the entire week.

Lucky California’s full-service pharmacy will be open for guests with mobile refills or who wish to pick up prescriptions while shopping. Lucky California pharmacy staff offer a variety of health and wellness services, pharmaceutical drugs and information regarding medical conditions. They also offer COVID-19 vaccinations, seasonal flu and other routine vaccines as part of their established services.

Groceries can be ordered online and delivered using Instacart, while items from The Eatery and a selection of beverages from The Drinkery can be mobile ordered on the food delivery platforms DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates and Uber Eats.

With 68 locations in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, Lucky and Lucky California are part of The Save Mart Cos., the largest family-owned grocer in California. Committed to sourcing a wide variety of local products to the communities it serves, the company operates 204 traditional and price impact stores under the banners of Save Mart, Lucky California, Lucky, FoodMaxx and MaxxValue Foods.