Teaming up to support local
Chinched Deli sets up shop permanently at Lester’s Farm Market
St. John's-based deli and bistro Chinched has permanently relocated part of its operations out of the downtown area.
As of Feb. 29, Chinched's Deli has set up shop inside Lester's Farm Market on Brookfield Road.
Co-owner Michelle Leblanc said the decision stemmed from a desire to increase visibility and customers.
"We just weren't seeing the foot traffic downtown that we were hoping to see," said Leblanc.
“Before we moved from our old location on Queen Street, we used to attend the St. John's Farmers' Market and we always loved that vibe and wanted to get back to that. Lester’s has that vibe.”
MOVE MADE SENSE
Leblanc said choosing Lester's as their new home was an obvious choice due to their existing relationship.
“We've always had a great relationship with Lester's, we use their produce in our products and they're a huge part of the community,” said Leblanc.
“They are a one-stop shop for a lot of things and it seemed like a good fit for us. They have welcomed us with open arms and have been nothing but accommodating.”
Another factor in choosing Lester's, Leblanc added, was creating better accessibility to the deli for the public.
“It's a much more central location, there's a large residential part of St. John's, Southlands and Mount Pearl, that are all close to Lester’s and people are already going there,” said Leblanc.
“It's going to enhance the experience, in the fact that it's more convenient for customers.”
ON-SITE EXPERTISE
Susan Lester, co-owner of Lester’s Farm Market, said having Chinched operate in-house will benefit their operation.
"We can now allow them to expand on what they do here. They have the expertise when it comes to talking about their products. When we sell our vegetables, we know the ins and outs," said Lester.
"I wouldn't be able to tell you the ins and outs of their products and why it tastes like this or the process behind it. So, we have on-site expertise of their product, which is amazing for customers."
Lester said she is looking forward to having Chinched grow within their market, and both businesses are excited to create something special together.
“It adds to our vision. We always want to support local and provide local to our customers, while also highlighting what we do here. We hope it will become a surplus of local goods that people are going to love,” said Lester.
OPPORTUNITY OUTWEIGHS CHALLENGES
When it comes to their operation, Leblanc said they literally picked up their deli from their Bates Hill location and dropped it inside Lester's.
Other than that, she said, not too much will change.
"We are keeping the same hours as the market –– right now, it's Thursday through Sunday, but that will then change in May to be seven days a week," said Leblanc.
Leblanc added there haven't been many challenges yet, but she does expect them as she grows. For now, though, the opportunities presented outweigh any challenge she foresees.
“From a product development standpoint, it's going to be fun.
Whenever we launch a new product, oftentimes we start it in the deli, to get feedback. So being able to offer it to more people, allows us to get even more feedback to grow our product line,” said Leblanc.
“It also allows us to focus on things we fell out of. We brought back sandwiches full time because we weren't seeing as much traffic downtown — we were kind of doing them here and there — but the new plan is to do a variety of sandwiches every day we are open.”