I think the opening of Savannah’s Whole Foods Market later this summer is going to be a major milestone for the city.
Savannah’s food culture has developed in positive ways in recent years, with larger numbers of residents investing in some way in healthier, more local fare. Whole Foods is still a major grocery chain, of course, but its presence in Savannah will encourage those broader trends, force other grocers to step up their games, and make some local naysayers view the city more positively.
It’s a big deal.
Oddly, Savannah still hasn’t appeared on Whole Foods’ list of “stores in development,” but the company has listed 19 different job openings, some of which presumably represent multiple positions. There’s general information about employment at the Whole Foods website.
By the way, I was in New Orleans for part of last week. While I didn’t visit the existing Whole Foods, I did see the site of a new one that’s a key part of redevelopment on North Broad Street. I hear a lot of Savannahians say they’d rather have a Trader Joe’s than a Whole Foods, but New Orleans — one of the great foodie towns in the entire nation — doesn’t have a single Trader Joe’s.