Mitchell Grocery scion plans upscale grocery, restaurant concept in Augusta

Jackson Mitchell, a fourth-generation member of the family that owns wholesale distributor Mitchell Grocery, is planning to open an upscale, 42,000-square foot supermarket in Augusta, Ga., next summer that will include a sports bar, a five-hole putting green and several foodservice concepts.

FreshTake, which will take over the space previously occupied by a Whole Foods that closed in 2017, will also incorporate a pharmacy — a first for Mitchell’s company, Jackson Mitchell Holdings, which also owns the five-store Little Giant Farmers Market grocery chain in Georgia.

“This store represents the culmination of my career and a deep love for the grocery business,” said Mitchell, CEO of Jackson Mitchell Holdings. “Our goal is to create a space that not only offers top-quality groceries but also becomes a hub for the community, where people can come together to enjoy great food, entertainment, and convenience.”

He described the store as a “seamless integration of shopping and leisure activities.” It will include seating for 130, two outdoor balconies, and a mezzanine seating area above the in-store cafe. Other features include an outdoor firepit and a five-hole putting green.

Foodservice concepts

About 12,000 square feet of the store’s area will be dedicated to foodservice and entertainment, a spokesperson for Jackson Mitchell Holdings told Supermarket News.

Among the planned foodservice concepts will be a walk-up barbecue smokehouse on the outdoor patio, a sushi bar, a pizza-and-pasta station, a sandwich concept, a hot food bar, a fresh juice and smoothie station, and grab-and-go prepared foods. Customers will also be able to have fresh cuts of meat prepared in-store through a “grill while you shop” option, and the seafood department will offer steaming for fish purchases.

The store also plans a beer-and-wine sports bar concept called Jackson’s that will feature 13 TV screens and 10 beers on tap, along with a menu of bar food items. FreshTake will also include a Starbucks café inside the store, the spokesperson said.

Delivery and other features

Other planned offerings at the new FreshTake store include:

Jackson Mitchell was director of store development at Mitchell Grocery Corp. for five years before he acquired the five-store Little Giant Farmers Market chain in 2019, operating it as a wholly owned subsidiary of Jackson Mitchell Holdings while developing the FreshTake concept.

“This will be the first FreshTake of many, and Jackson is scouting locations to expand to in the future,” the spokesperson said.

Mitchell is also open to opportunities to expand Little Giant, the spokesperson said.

Mitchell Grocery Corp., based in Albertville, Ala., which supplies more than 200 independent supermarkets in the Southeast, will also supply FreshTake.