CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

DALLAS - Minyard Food Stores opened a 56,000-square-foot Carnival prototype here last month offering an array of amenities designed to appeal to Hispanic shoppers.

Among them:

A cocina (kitchen) offering a variety of freshly made authentic Mexican foods available for sale at breakfast, lunch and dinner, in a section geared to family dining and designed to look like a village square, with 14 oak tables under festive ceiling lights, with TV screens airing Spanish-language programs.

A fruiteria (fresh juice bar) - a 400-square-foot service counter, open on all four sides, featuring freshly cut fruits and vegetables and freshly squeezed juices.

A carniceria (meat department) featuring 60 feet of service meat that takes up the entire left side of the store, adjacent to 44 feet of self-service meat, with two 24-foot spot boxes for frozen or refrigerated product opposite the service counter.

A salchichoneria (cold deli) featuring hanging sausage links in a refrigerated case, plus a 32-foot counter featuring luncheon meats and Mexican and domestic cheese.

A pescaderia (seafood department) - separated for the first time from the service meat counter - featuring 32 feet of fish, including 50 varieties, displayed on ice, adjacent to eight doors of frozen fish products.

A panaderia (scratch bakery) with a 40-foot service case featuring Carnival's new signature "tres leches" cake in multiple flavors, expanded Mexican sweet breads and bolillos (rolls) served hot from the oven throughout the day.

A produce section featuring 600 items, displayed on 88 feet of refrigerated cases, six dry tables and two promotional tables.

A tortilleria featuring freshly made corn and flour tortillas and tortilla chips.

A farmacia (pharmacy) featuring herbal remedies and other specialty items commonly used in Mexico.

An in-store clinic called MedXpress that's open from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m., the same hours as the store.

Skylights that allow natural light to flow over the center of the store and whose reflection on the translucent fixtures over the produce section enhance the look of that section.

Bilingual signs "because what we've learned is even first-generation Hispanics prefer bilingual signs because they help them learn English," the company noted.

Bilingual aisle markers that are high enough to be seen from any point in the store.

Individual registers in each service department that allow customers to pay for products and consume them on site.