Welcome to the Co-op Remodel 2019. We are thrilled to be looking ahead to the future and are excited to let you know what is happening and what’s in-store.
Today is March 24th and we are well underway with the remodel of our Deli areas. About two weeks ago construction began in our Deli kitchen and counter areas. Our current Deli kitchen is expanding slightly and the counter area is getting a complete face lift. Our Hot Bar/Salad Bar will move away from the counter area and will be a new island fixture. Our Deli sandwich area is turning around and will be stationed at the counter – with staff facing the customers. Where the Hot Bar used to be, will now be a “hot slide”. This counter top piece of equipment will be where you’ll find our breakfast burritos and sandwiches, whole roasted chickens, and a host of other items – including hot meal solutions from our own Deli. This counter area is slated to re-open on Friday, April 5th.
Currently the front half of the store along the east wall is being transformed and has a temporary wall between it and customers. Our front office has been removed as well as our first cash register. The seating area will be revamped, with a new dish return area, new window sills and jambs (previous sills and jambs were damaged by long-term moisture exposure), new tables and chairs (but the gorgeous bench stays), a new coat of paint, and a slight enlargement of our entryway that will allow us to station a motorized cart there for customer use. You’ll notice that one of our front windows will go away during and after construction – the one nearest the entryway. We’ll be putting a street-facing sign in that spot rather than a smaller window.
Our four registers will be completely replaced with new ones – including our current customer service desk (CSD). Over the past decade we have discovered that it is our staff that make our customer service shine. In particular, our Front End staff will be able to assist customers at our new register stands in the same way that our CSD provided. This will allow speed of service to our customers and flexibility when we need to close a station to give greater service to those that need it. All four new registers will have belts, versus only three of our current registers. And we’ve made sure to give more adequate room between them for carts and customers.
The Co-op will be closed Tuesday, April 2nd through Thursday, April 4th. These are the only three days the Co-op expects to be completely closed during the remodel.
Our Deli is currently running a modified schedule each day – including a reduced selection of wraps, pre-made salads, three soups, a couple pastries from Waving Grains Cooperative Bakery, and our usual coffee and tea. On Friday, April 5th you can expect our Deli counter area to open – including a new grab-n-go cooler, sandwich counter, hot slide, and bakery case. Our new Hot Bar/Salad Bar island won’t arrive until mid-April.
During the time we are closed we will be replacing our front doors. As you may recall, we originally had two sets of doors coming into the building. We will be returning to the two-set layout, as well as shifting our grocery carts into the entryway. The new doors will both be automatic, each with larger, single doorways.
While we are replacing the front doors, we will be moving out old coolers, and moving in new coolers. Only one of our existing open-faced coolers (our beer cooler) will remain. The remainder – our Deli Grab-n-Go and Produce coolers – will be replaced with new, open-faced models. We’ll be gaining a new, open-faced meat cooler as well.
During this same time, our entire refrigeration system – which includes 90% of our coolers and freezers – will be switched to a new rack system. Currently each cooler/freezer has one or two compressors. These compressors are located in a tunnel in the Co-op basement that runs the entire length of the building. This tunnel gets very hot in the summer and the amount of return air needed to keep our compressors cool is greater than the space will allow to move efficiently through it. (This is why our front doors have been pulled open during the summer months for many years now. The tunnel has been pulling from any crack or crevice in the store itself.) This new rack system will be cooled by a unit stationed on the roof of the building. Therefore, our tunnel will no longer be at risk of overheating, and will not be pulling air from the store in an attempt to cool the compressors. This piece of the project alone is expected to pay for itself in savings within 5 years.
Our Deli remodel has been going well and is currently on-schedule. Again, the Co-op plans to be closed Tuesday, April 2nd through Thursday, April 4th. We plan to re-open on Friday, April 5th at 8:00 am with normal hours.
Thank you for your patience and your continued support of your 100% member-owned, local food cooperative in Decorah. We are proud to call Decorah our home and to be an economic engine for the community we serve. Go Co-op!
