New specialty grocery store debuts Friday in Boston

Clover Food Lab, a Massachusetts’ cult-favorite vegetarian, fast-casual food chain, will open its 15th location restaurant, but its first location to include a grocery store, on Friday.

CloverROW, located at 330 Foley Street in Somerville, Massachusetts, a suburb just northwest of Boston, will open its doors with its signature ‘Pay What You Want’ Day, a Clover tradition where guests have the option to pay as they wish for the entire Clover menu, with all proceeds donated to the non-profit organization Mystic River Watershed Association, the company said in a statement.

“CloverROW will be home to the first full Clover grocery store, where we can share the best locally sourced and thoughtfully produced food and drinks made by many of the very same farms and small businesses we order from for Clover’s kitchens every day,” said Ayr Muir, CEO and founder of Clover Food Lab. “We are thrilled to bring attention to these local small businesses who are doing great—and yummy—work.”

Grocery items such as produce, specialty foods sourced from small-batch artisans, makers and local farms in Massachusetts and neighboring states will also be available for shoppers. The store will also feature dressings, sauces, salsas, soups and meal boxes, which will be sold in a retail setting for the first time, Clover said in a statement.

To curate the retail experience and offerings, Clover Food Lab has partnered with local entrepreneurs Bobby MacLean and Alexandra Whisnant of Bow Market’s specialty food store Picnic & Pantry, as well as chocolate shop gâté comme des filles and Cambridge wine & dessert bar Zuzu’s Petals.

The grocery store will include a coffee wall featuring a vast selection of beans sourced from New England-based roasters.

During the first months of operation, CloverROW will host a series of workshops and tastings spotlighting local orchards, coffee makers, syrup producers and artists inspired by fruits and vegetables, the company said in a statement.

Clover Food Lab was founded first as a food truck by MIT alum and environmentalist Muir. Clover's mission is to address global warming by building a better food future.