We're gonna direct your attention all the way back to yesterday's post about how we recently noticed construction at the former Grays Ferry Pathmark because today we have an additional dimension to add to the conversation. You may recall, we weren't sure whether the construction activity signaled that a new tenant had emerged for the space, and we considered the possibility that the property managers were simply sprucing up the space for a yet-to-be-determined tenant.
But we did mention that we'd heard rumors about the possibility of Fresh Grocer or Shop Rite taking over the space, without any kind of confirmation. Thanks to the sleuthing efforts of one of our readers though, we may have ourselves a smoking gun. But it's a confusing smoking gun, to say the least.
On the LCB website, there's a pending application for a restaurant liquor license at the site of the former supermarket. Wakefern Food Corp is the owner and wouldn't you know it, Wakefern is the parent company of Price Rite, Shop Rite, and Fresh Grocer. This would indicate, quite strongly, that one of those grocery stores will soon be opening on Grays Ferry Avenue. So while we still aren't sure which grocery store to expect, this at least tells us that a grocery store is indeed coming soon.
But what's with the liquor license? At first glance, we'd think that this license was simply a work around to allow the market to sell beer, but it's pretty clear that they're getting a restaurant license. The Pathmark had no restaurant component as far as we can remember, and the addition of some kind of sit-down element to the supermarket would certainly add a different dimension to the store. Has anyone heard anything about a booze-serving restaurant at this location? How do you think a bar/restaurant would do at this location?