The Future of the Food Market

This is my family’s grocery store in Springfield, IL circa 1934. Those ambitious, hard-working young men in the picture are four of my great-uncles, struggling to run a Depression-era business while raising their families. By the time I was born, the shop had long since closed though they shared stories as if it were yesterday. They knew every customer by name, and remembered what each customer bought every week.

From the time my great-grandparents left Lithuania to come to America in 1888 to now, someone in our family has been involved in the food business in one way or another. We’re restaurant managers and owners, farmers and chefs. We’re also inventors, engineers, scientists and marketers traveling the world seeking new ideas. So when I spend hours at the local farmer’s market, or in a grocery store, or at the latest food hall, it feels like coming home.

A few years ago, I went to the World Food Expo in Milan, Italy to explore some of the latest global food retail trends. The concept store was sleek and bright, incorporating emerging interactive technologies such as augmented reality, digital signage, QR codes and more, though it was evident whomever designed it had absolutely no practical experience working in a food market. The telltale signs include:

• The angle of the stacked produce is too vertical. Not only will the produce fall off easily, the minute a customer removes a piece, the whole display is likely to collapse.
• Where are the shopping carts and baskets? In this image, none of the shoppers seem to be buying anything (though I have seen a similar concept in Japan where customers just select a product and order same-day delivery but that was a clothing store, not food).
• The aisles appear clean and wide, but navigating this floor would be difficult. I don’t know about you, but whenever I go shopping, there are a lot more people of different ages and ethnicities in my store.
• Digital signs above the product are a great way to share product information (place of origin/grower, nutritional information, pricing and promotions) but these are way too high.

I point out these details because the details matter. Stores that understand how consumers shop, how they buy and how they use products keep customers coming back. In that respect, nothing has changed from when my great-uncles ran their local corner store more than 80 years ago.

When you come into The Chopping Block in Chicago, you’ll be greeted warmly, offered a beverage and invited to taste some of our products. We’ll ask questions on what you’re cooking, or the décor of your kitchen, or what you like to eat. We’ll be happy to take you on a personal tour of our kitchens and offer suggestions on what classes you might want to take.

On any given day, we’ll be serving up our famous house made Truffle Salt Popcorn, fresh-baked breads topped with savory spreads or sampling delicious dips featuring our favorite spice blends. Whether you have questions about kitchenware or need help with a recipe, our staff will help find the answer. Our chefs use the products in our store every day in their cooking classes so we can explain how a product works and demonstrate different ways it can be used.

Every month, we offer special promotions on a whole category of items from cookware to knives to “anything with wood” like in September.

Our October monthly promotion will be 20% off Cast Iron including Lodge cookware and Le Creuset.

Need a housewarming or thank you gift? We can help you put together a selection of kitchen and personal care products, pick a great bottle of wine or choose just the right gift card option. The Chopping Block gift cards can be used towards classes or products at either of our two locations and they never expire, making them the perfect choice for any occasion.

All of us at The Chopping Block want to make your shopping – and cooking – experience the best it can be. We sincerely value our relationship with our customers and look forward to seeing you again.