Sprouts to open in the Dr. Phillips area in November
A Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store is slated to open on Turkey Lake Road in the Dr. Phillips neighborhood on Nov. 18.
The 26,000-square-foot store will be at 7603 Turkey Lake Road and employ about 110 full- and part-time workers.
Sprouts stores feature open layouts with “fresh produce at the heart of the store,” a news release said. The chain has locations in Oviedo and Winter Park.
The start of this year saw both the Lucky’s Market and Earth Fare grocery chains file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and close all of their Orlando locations.
Since then, coronavirus has boosted the grocery business as customers dine at home, with Lakeland-based Publix estimating it generated $2.5 billion more in sales because of the pandemic in the first half of the year.
Luma on Park restaurant closing
Winter Park’s Luma on Park is closing its Park Avenue restaurant, according to a Facebook post.
“We were unable to come to terms on a reasonable rent structure to continue operating in our current location,” the restaurant posted on Facebook on Tuesday.
The post, which did not include a closing date, went on to say the company has been contacted by other property owners “eager to introduce best-in-class concepts by Park Lights Hospitality.” Park Lights is behind Luma, Prato and Luke’s restaurants.
It did not indicate if the coronavirus pandemic played a part in the decision, but a number of restaurants have sought rent accommodations due to the pandemic’s impact on the industry. Recently, Red Lobster stakeholder Thai Union’s group CFO Joerg Ayrle said the seafood chain could lose some locations if landlords aren’t “understanding enough.”
Luma, at 290 S. Park Ave., had a menu of offerings that included Ponce Inlet red snapper, Long Island duck and butternut squash ravioli.
“On behalf of Luma on Park and all of its employees, we would like to thank all of our incredibly loyal customers, friends, and associates in Winter Park, greater Orlando, and across the country for giving us the opportunity to serve you for fifteen wonderful years,” the post from Luma said.
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill returns
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is coming back to Orlando with a new restaurant in Lake Nona.
The restaurant is expected to open by the end of the month in a shopping center at 13000 Narcoossee Road.
The chain previously had restaurants in Doctor Phillips, Winter Park and Lake Mary, but a number of the restaurants closed under former parent company Ruby Tuesday.
Lime Fresh CEO Vinay Rama purchased the company in 2018, according to a news release.
“We are coming back in with a much stronger version of the brand,” Rama said in the release.
The chain offers tacos, burritos,
salads, queso, street corn and margaritas. It has 13 restaurants in South Florida.
Publix eliminates one-way aisles
Publix has ended its effort to have customers go one way down aisles during the coronavirus pandemic in stores where local governments don’t require it.
The Lakeland-based grocery chain of more than 1,250 grocery stores has removed directional floor markers it added early in the pandemic to keep customers apart. Some customers had complained at times about the company’s rule.
“We implemented one-way aisles at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic to help our customers understand and practice social distancing and over time, it has become widely understood and adopted into our routines,” said spokeswoman Maria Brous.
Publix will continue to have social distancing floor markers 6 feet apart at checkout and other areas where people line up.
In July, Publix started requiring all customers to wear masks in its stores as COVID-19 cases soared in Florida and other parts of the Southeast. The announcement to do so came the day after Walmart said it would implement a face-covering rule.