MARKET CAFE GETS GOOD REVIEWS

DICKSON CITY, Pa. -- Two days after the grand opening of a Wegmans Food Markets unit here, lunchtime shoppers appeared somewhat overwhelmed, but generally pleased, by the wide range of choices and the activity at the store's Market Cafe.

re. Many said they particularly liked the selection of entrees. They said the prices were good, and the freshness of the food impressive.

SN heard only two negative notes during a whole afternoon at the store. One shopper turned away from the crowded cafe, saying it was too confusing. Another complained to a manager that the pasta she ordered was too small a portion for the price, and that she wanted to return it.

The manager took back the pasta as a staffer explained to SN that the dish was not your ordinary plate of spaghetti, that it was made from fresh pasta cooked to order with store-made sauce from fresh ingredients.

Other shoppers said they viewed the prices as in line with other area eateries and food courts. "The prices are the same as anywhere," said Joanne Wojtas of Elmhurst, Pa., who added that her meal was "very good." She said she'd come back.

Another area shopper, Diane Patchocoski of Dunmore, Pa., said she enjoyed the slice of pizza and Philadelphia-style steak sandwich she had just finished sharing with a friend. "This is very nice and very different," she said. "I like the assortment. My husband would like to see this."

Ellen Dickey, who was eating a Chinese dish while her husband munched on a hero sandwich, said she thought the prices were "good." Her husband said he felt the cafeteria-style service was "a little disorganized" and took too long.

"I'd like to come back by myself," Ellen Dickey said with a glance at her impatient husband. Another shopper, who called the Market Cafe "fabulous," said she and her family probably would eat at the cafe often instead of at the nearby military commissary where they have been eating frequently.

"The prices here are comparable to anyplace around, and everything's fresh. There are a lot of choices, too," she said.

A young man having lunch in the cafe with his wife and mother said, "We used to go up to Binghamton to Wegmans, so it's great to have one here. We'll probably come here a few times a week. I'd come here to eat even if it wasn't part of the supermarket." He added that he had taken Chinese food home from the cafe the previous night.

Family members said they planned to come back to the espresso bar for coffee and dessert later, after they finished grocery shopping.

A woman, eating sesame chicken from the cafe's Wokery, said, "This is incredible, but I think I'll come early next time so I'll have more time to decide what I want."