US Foods' CHEF’STORE expands southern reach with 3 new stores

US Foods' CHEF’STORE, an alternative to wholesale clubs with no membership required, is expanding its southern reach as shoppers continue to seek out ways to save on groceries.

CHEF'STORE will open three new stores this fall in Roanoke, Virginia; Greenville, North Carolina; and Fayetteville, North Carolina, bringing CHEF'STORE's store count to more than 90 locations nationwide across 13 states, the Illinois-based company said on Tuesday.

“As part of the US Foods omni-channel strategy to provide enhanced delivery and retail options to foodservice operators, we are excited to continue to grow the CHEF’STORE footprint,” said Irfan Badibanga, president of CHEF’STORE, in a statement. “Our CHEF’STORE locations provide an unmatched solution for restauranters, smaller foodservice operators and price-conscious community members to get the products they need when they need it, and we look forward to serving new and existing customers.” 

The warehouse format stores will range between 20,000 and 23,500 square feet. 

The Greenville and Fayetteville stores will join two existing CHEF’STORE locations in North Carolina. The Greenville store will be located at 901 Mall Dr., and the Fayetteville store is located at 505 Cross Creek Mall. The Roanoke store will be the second CHEF’STORE location in the state of Virginia, joining the existing location in Lynchburg. The Roanoke store will be located at 1372 Towne Square Blvd.

CHEF’STORE’s growth strategy isn’t solely focused on brick-and-mortar expansion on the East Coast. Earlier this year, CHEF’STORE opened a second store in Utah as part of the retailer’s store expansion plans.

The 20,000-square-foot store is located at 2986 E. Panther Way St. in George and offers more than 7,000 items including fresh, deli, frozen, dairy and produce, with products available in bulk and individual quantities.

In April 2020, US Foods acquired Smart Foodservice Warehouse Stores to accelerate growth in the cash-and-carry market. Then in March 2021, the stores were rebranded as US Foods' CHEF’STORE.