2nd Dom’s Kitchen & Market to Open in Chicago This Fall
Following a successful debut of Dom's Kitchen & Market in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago in mid-2021, the high-profile co-founders are opening a second location two miles away in the Old Town community. That store, at 1225 North Wells, is slated to open this fall.
Dom’s is led by longtime grocery executive Bob Mariano, who founded the Mariano’s banner after serving as CEO of Roundy’s and Dominick’s; Jay Owen of Dom Capital Group and great-grandson of Dominick’s founder Dominick DiMatteo; and Don Fitzgerald, a former senior executive at Dominick’s, Roundy’s and Mariano’s. Billed as a food emporium with a wealth of prepared foods in addition to fresh foods and grocery items, the first location opened in June at 2730 N. Halsted Street.
The second store is the start of a broader expansion, as Dom’s plans to open 15 locations in Chicago and its suburbs by 2025. “It is ambitious, and that’s how we went into this. We built a team that wasn’t just for one store – it was for growth,” Fitzgerald told Progressive Grocer.
The group started planning for the Old Town location almost immediately after welcoming its first shoppers at the original site. “It’s been in the works for four to six months,” said Fitzgerald, noting that the new location will also carry many locally-sourced and produced foods and goods. “We want to continue with the curation, and we’ve learned a lot about what the customer likes over the past few months.”
With about 10,000 more square feet in space than the first location, the new Dom’s Kitchen & Market will have a larger assortment of market products, along with chef-crafted meals and in-store dining venues. The success of events held at the Lincoln Park store, from private birthday parties to chef-hosted classes, will be amplified at the latest site. “I think that’s part of the magic of what we bring – the energy, the atmosphere, the music, the interaction. We want to bring that to a bigger building while also helping build an intimate feel,” explains Fitzgerald.
E-commerce will be part of the new Dom’s experience, as shoppers can order ahead for in-store or curbside pickup and get kitchen items sent to them through delivery platforms including DoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubHub Hub, ChowNow and Tock.
As it expands, Dom’s Kitchen & Market is growing its own team: The company recently hired a new director of hospitality. Alain Uy has an extensive restaurant and hospitality background, including work at the foodservice concept within Restoration Hardware stores and at Chicago’s acclaimed Peninsula Hotel. He joined Dom’s this month.
