Rastelli Market Fresh: A breed apart

 Click here for an inside look at Rastelli Market Fresh!

Ownership by a major meat company coupled with an emphasis on top-notch gourmet perishables sold at popular prices enables Rastelli Market Fresh to rise above the herd of conventional and specialty supermarkets.

Stop and smell the coffee.

That is first thing shoppers do upon entering the new Rastelli Market Fresh store in Marlton, N.J. It is impossible not to since a boiler-size stainless steel, black and red Proaster coffee roaster sits in the middle of the sales floor just beyond the front door roasting large quantities of fresh beans throughout the day.

Shoppers can choose from among 18 varieties or even custom-make their own unique blend and hand it to a smiling store associate who grinds it to order at one of the Mahlkönig grinders behind the Proaster.

“We thought it was brilliant to have coffee as a focal point when you walk in the store,” says Lauren Rastelli DeMarco, director of marketing & events, at Rastelli Foods Group, the Swedesboro, N.J.-based meat producer that operates the store. “We wanted people to have fresh roasted coffee as their first experience when they walk through the door.”

“The coffee program was something we were passionate about when we were opening this store and planning,” says Chris Mentzer, director of operations. “A lot of people gave up on the art of roasting coffee, but we spent a lot of time on it.”

As if the aroma was not enough, to further stimulate sales stainless steel Thermoses offer shoppers samples. Realizing that in today’s time-pressed society many consumers do not have the time to perk a pot, Mentzer is working with a vendor on a program to give shoppers a reusable K-Cup screen when they buy a pound. 

If that is not enough incentive, when they turn around they can order any number of Starbucks-type drinks made with beans roasted that morning at the industrial chic Java & Juice Bar adjacent to the entrance.

“It is awesome because it smells so great and the coffee is just so much better,” Rastelli DeMarco says. “I am a former Dunkin’ Donuts addict and their coffee tastes so watered down compared to what we serve here.”

If coffee is not a shopper’s cup of tea, there are more than two-dozen made-to-order fresh-squeezed juice drinks, like the Melon Madness (melon, orange, carrot), The Big Island (pineapple, orange, lime) or the Bunny Punch (carrot, beet, celery, cucumber, wheat grass, parsley). “It is a full juice bar, which is another thing that sets us out and is unique in this area,” Rastelli DeMarco says.

Actually the list of unique things that Rastelli Market Fresh offers is quite long: award-winning sandwiches; premium four-star sushi; gourmet pizza; custom tacos; made-from-scratch soups; homemade entrées; fresh breads, rolls, cakes and pastries; craft beers, wines and liquors; and local produce. This is all in addition to the finest fresh meats and seafood that the industry has to offer.

That is because Rastelli Foods Group is one of the largest processors and purveyors of meat and seafood in the nation, supplying tens of thousands of restaurants and leading chains including Costco and Ahold with meat.

With the exception of baked goods which are brought in from specialized individual vendors, all of the prepared foods are made on-premise, even the pastas used at the Pastaficio pasta station. A glass wall allows shoppers to watch the behind-the-scenes action.

“We have a crew of around 20 chefs who work around the clock on different daily shifts to make sure our cases are full,” Rastelli DeMarco says. “They also do all of the preparation work for our Deptford store. Before everything was done in Deptford, but with the opening of this store we moved all of our chefs and equipment here and now deliver daily to the Deptford store.”     

Rastelli Market Fresh occupies 36,000 square-feet of what was once a 62,000-square-foot Genuardi’s on Route 73 South in Marlton, an upscale community about 15 miles outside of Philadelphia. Marshalls is taking the rest of the building.   

  “We took a little more than half of the Genuardi’s space and put together what we thought would be the store of the future,” says Ray Rastelli III, vice president of Rastelli Direct, son of company founder Ray Rastelli, and Lauren’s cousin.

Prior to opening the store company officials literally traveled the country—and the world—exploring unique markets, restaurants, shops and bazaars. “We kind of just wanted a little taste of everything because we had an open footprint to do what we wanted,” Mentzer says.

“We wanted something that would fit the neighborhood but bring more to it. If you go into Philadelphia you can get all these great urban concepts, but then when you come back into New Jersey where all these people who work in Philadelphia live, you have Panera Bread, Chipotle, Wawa and stuff like that,” he says. “All these great concepts that you can have in the city are not in our area. We are the only ones slow-roasting pork for eight hours for our Taqueria taco station, for example, and make all of the dressings and sauces from scratch daily. All of that great food that you have in the city is not back here. It is more quick and casual.”

That explains the jammed packed parking lot, and equally busy aisles and service counters, especially given that in its immediate area Rastelli competes against Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, ShopRite and not one, but two Wegmans. Company officials say the store has a 10-mile drawing area, but actually pulls from much further. Come weekends it is packed with Philadelphians, many of whom come into the area to shop at the nearby The Promenade at Sagemore, an open-air power center anchored by L.L. Bean.

“We have a lot of folks from the Shore coming here, which is a good 40 miles away,” Rastelli says. “You have Atlantic City, Ocean City, Longport, Margate and all these other Jersey Shore towns. There is nothing—no quality grocery stores—in those areas. So this is their closest stop and a lot of them come to Marlton to work everyday. A lot of those folks come to this store as their main supermarket,” he says.       

“The nice thing about this store is that it is widely accessible,” says Andrea Carr-Fitzpatrick, creative development and public relations director. “It has the large market abilities, but small market feel, which is great, and the price range, price mix and product mix is really accessible to anyone.”

Family-friendly

“We wanted to make this a family, community marketplace since we are a family-run operation,” Rastelli DeMarco says. “We wanted to make this a place where you could come in and feel comfortable talking with the people in each department, get that knowledge and not be a traditional grocer.”

All department heads are well-versed industry veterans.

“We make sure every department has an expert and there is always someone that has expertise in the department,” Mentzer says. “So if you go into the cheese department it doesn’t matter who you talk to. They can walk you around and they are going to sample 10 cheeses without asking. They want you to sample cheeses,” he says.

Featuring more than 250 varieties, the cheese department fronts the Charcuterie deli. The store-made hams, turkey breasts and roast beefs in the Charcuterie are supplemented with a full line of Dietz & Watson products. It is a relationship that goes back decades. The first The Meat Stop butcher shop in Oak Valley, N.J., that launched the Rastelli Foods Group empire stocked Dietz & Watson luncheon meats. 

At Rastelli, shoppers are encouraged to sample more than just cheese.

“We have The Vegetable Butcher which is an awesome concept; if you are not sure how an apple or avocado will taste you bring it to this counter and we will cut one open for you to taste,” says Alyssa Mentzer, marketing coordinator, and Chris’ daughter. “We really feel that way about all of our food so we are always sampling and demoing things from our catering menu.”

Recently at the service meat case a store associate was urging shoppers to sample cubes of grilled rib eye that “were so tender you can cut them with a spoon.” And they actually were because Rastelli Market Fresh features the finest beef and freshest seafood from its own plants.

Thus, the popularity of Rastelli’s authentic Sushi & Raw Bar—complete with a Japanese-style low counter and proportional benches. “Sushi is one of the areas of the store where we are just totally pulling it in,” Rastelli DeMarco says. “We started with one sushi chef and actually ended up hiring four more full-time because there is such a huge demand for it. It is so good it rivals any sushi restaurant in Philadelphia.”

A supermarket sushi case is not so unusual nowadays, but unlike most stores, which operate them as concessions, Rastelli’s actually owns theirs. “We have our own seafood facility and use the highest quality fish which comes from our plant in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.,” Rastelli DeMarco says. “It is so fresh. That is why it is just like eating sushi at a restaurant because it is the same quality.”

The same can be said of the meat case. “We do not sell Select here. We do not sell Australian or anything imported,” Rastelli says. “It is all High Choice or Prime. We are putting out products that are of high butcher-shop quality at ShopRite prices. We can do that because we are cutting out six or seven middlemen.”

A newly instituted program sells Cryovac portions, with 8-ounce Rastelli Preferred rib eyes and New York strips going for $6.00 each and filet mignons for $8.00 apiece.

“Being that we are a meat company, one of the benefits we have is portion,” Rastelli says. “Everything we do for the restaurants are portioned. None of it is by the pound or by the inch as supermarkets do. It looks and is inexpensive when you put your mind to it that a filet is $8.00. People’s biggest issue, I think, when they walk up to a meat counter and the sign says ‘$29.00 a pound’ is ‘how much do I get in a pound?’”

Tofu too

Vegetarian options also abound in the store. The Hot Wok Asian counter is becoming known for its tofu.

“We do the best tofu,” Carr-Fitzpatrick says. “They all make fun of me because I am working for a meat company and yet I am ordering the tofu. I love steaks and seafood, but I love tofu too, and for some reason the tofu in the Hot Wok is the best tofu I’ve ever had in my life.”

Tofu aside, Rastelli’s also stocks a complete, albeit limited selection of conventional groceries.

“We pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop,” Rastelli DeMarco says. “You can come in and get that authentic Taqueria experience or get fresh made-on-the-premise pasta, but you can still pick up your grocery items.”

Traffic is so brisk at Rastelli Market Fresh that it does not seem necessary to advertise, but company officials are still getting the word out.

Ads are run in local newspapers and Philly Style magazine. In late October commercials began airing on cable stations in the Philadelphia market and a show called Chef’s Kitchen is filmed in the store. “We have celebrity chefs and restaurant owners coming in, partnering with Ray, Chris and other members of our executive team and they actually do a recipe demo and show different areas of the store,” Rastelli DeMarco says.

Social media is also key.

“Social media is a big thing for us because it is such a modern store and such a new concept,” says Carr-Fitzpatrick. “Our shoppers are very savvy and they take to social media to find out where to go, etc. We want to meet our shopper where they exist and a lot of that is on social media.”

Egg nog off

Management is also doing “interesting” things to entice the community, like the Nog Off taking place in December.

“Ray’s father, my uncle, has a special family recipe that he makes every year for egg nog, so we are going to have an event here, making it in-house to show everyone the recipe,” Rastelli DeMarco says. “We will give people the option to buy all of the ingredients separately to make it themselves and we will be bottling it and selling it that way too. We are also encouraging people to come in with their own egg nog recipes. We will have a friendly little competition and crown a winner.”

Mentzer notes, “We are family-owned. We’re accessible. When the customer comes in and says, ‘I wish you had this,’ we will have it on the next order. It doesn’t matter if it is a special order or something that we are going to stock permanently. We get it in a few days and the customer is actually called to let them know their product is here. Wegmans can’t do that. We can. And you are actually talking to a Rastelli. Every day one of the owners is in the store.”   

The Rastellis have high hopes for Rastelli Market Fresh. They envision at least 10 stores operating in the region. And each one will likely have a Rastelli family member on-premise.

“With so many family members that won’t be a problem,” Rastelli says.

“We are never at a loss of finding a Rastelli to work for us,” says Rastelli DeMarco.

With such a fabulous store it is easy to see why. 

Dine & Wine

In addition to the aroma of fresh-roasting coffee, another anomaly hitting customers walking through the doors of Rastelli Market Fresh in Marlton, N.J, are the stylishly decorated round tables topped with the latest seasonal wines and beers from the store’s Grapes & Grains liquor department. That is because alcoholic beverages are a rarity in New Jersey supermarkets. Liquor licenses are limited to two per operator and in most instances are sold in a dedicated store area with a separate entrance and exit from the main store.

Rastelli’s was able to obtain a coveted license because the Safeway-owned Genuardi’s that previously occupied the building had a liquor license. Safeway carried it over from the former Zagara’s specialty store across the highway that Genuardi’s operated when it was an independently-owned chain.   

“When we signed up for the LCB and ABC in the township we licensed the whole store for [alcoholic beverage] merchandising,” says Chris Mentzer, director of operations at Rastelli Market Fresh and a former Zagara’s and Genuardi’s official.

“We licensed every place in the store from where the liquor came in, to our storage area, to the whole actual store, which gives us lots of opportunities. We are literally able to put sake with our sushi, Cupcake [brand] wine over in bakery, the Barolos over by meat and the white wines by seafood,” Mentzer says, adding that was done with the help of Marlton officials who had allowed Zagara’s to sell wine throughout its store. “We put it in just like Zagara’s had because that is how it was done at Zagara’s. It had already been done so township officials knew when we applied what that meant and they just signed right off on it.”       

Of course being New Jersey, the license does come with some caveats.

“The biggest challenge we had was because we have it merchandised throughout the store we had to agree that we can’t have any minors working at the register or bagging, so all of our cashiers are over 18,” Mentzer says.

In other New Jersey stores selling alcoholic beverages an underage cashier has to stop the transaction and call over an older cashier to scan and bag the item.

“It is a waste of time for the customer,” Mentzer says. “So we committed that all of our cashiers and baggers are over 18 years old. We also had to register every minor that works in the store with the ABC, the LCB and the Township. So everyone was registered through HR, and then there was a background check done on all of the managers,” Mentzer says.    

The Meat Stop

While the Marlton, N.J. store is the second property to operate under the Rastelli Market Fresh banner; retailers and consumers around the country are likely familiar with Rastelli products, if not the Rastelli name. Order a steak at any one of tens of thousands of fine restaurants across the U.S., or chains like TGI Friday’s and Applebee’s, and there is a good chance that steer was raised on a Rastelli ranch and that steak was cut at the Rastelli processing plant.

The parent company of the Rastelli Market Fresh stores is Swedesboro, N.J.-based Rastelli Foods Group, one of the largest meat raisers, processors and purveyors in the nation. It counts Costco, Ahold USA, Fairway Markets, Gristedes and Kings among its customers; Walmart is now testing Rastelli organic beef in four of its stores.

Rastelli Foods Group’s other operations include Rastelli Seafood, a premium seafood importer, supplier and processor of chef-prepared seafood entrées based in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.; Rastelli Direct, a mail order house marketing premium frozen meats, seafood and gifts; and Rastelli Global which serves as a manufacturer and worldwide consolidator for U.S. military bases and franchise restaurants around the globe.

“If a franchisee is opening up 50 Papa John’s overseas, we will source and purchase everything from the bricks for the front of the building, to their uniforms, to their pizza toppings,” says Lauren Rastelli DeMarco, director of marketing & events at Rastelli Foods Group.        

The Rastelli family has a long lineage in the retail and meat business dating back to 1976 when company founder Ray Rastelli opened The Meat Stop, a 500-square-foot butcher shop in Oak Valley, N.J. Two years later his brother Tony (Lauren’s father) joined him and they proceeded to open seven The Meat Stop stores over the next decade.   

With the exception of the second location in Deptford, N.J., the other stores were eventually sold off.

“Five years ago we still had that Deptford store but it was old and weathered and had not been paid attention to for 30 years,” says Ray Rastelli III, vice president at Rastelli Direct, and founder Ray’s son. “It was doing a nice bit of business but we didn’t feel it represented the Rastelli family of companies as it should. So we closed it and put $2 - $3 million into it and reopened it three months later as Rastelli Market Fresh.”