When it comes to groceries, Whole Foods can certainly be a pricier option than, say, The Grocery Outlet (which I’ve never actually been brave enough to visit), but there are some legitimate reasons to include it in your shopping rotation- personally, I’m a big fan of their house brand, 365 Everyday Value, for reasonably-priced, high-quality staples. But I recently came across another fantastic excuse to visit Whole Foods a little more often (and yes, it’s even better than $3 tetra-packs of organic chicken broth)- amazing Happy Hour deals.
Happy hour? At a grocery store? Well, when your grocery store has a full-service kitchen, then yes, it’s possible. And when said happy hour features rotating menu themes (Street Food from Around the World, Moules Frites and Izakaya, to name a few) at bargain prices and deals on a great selection of beer and wine, you really have no excuse not to broaden your horizons and give it a try. (Plus, making your weekly grocery run after a glass of wine makes the whole process way more enjoyable.) Personally, I’m really looking forward to the next Izakaya night at the Westlake location this Sunday, April 3. Izakaya is Japanese street food, and the Whole Foods kitchen will be slinging a variety of delicious offerings, like $4 yakitori skewers and onigiri rolls, Japanese pickles, and bowls of Hiyayakko (chilled silken tofu topped with a variety of veggies, sauces, and sometimes salmon roe), plus a variety of sake to wash it all down.
To make it just a little more appealing, the nice folks at Whole Foods are giving yay-today readers a chance to win a $25 gift certificate (enough to get your happy hour on and pick up a few groceries to boot). All you have to do is leave a comment below telling us what you look for in a good happy hour (we can use this market research to recommend other promising spots for you to check out- yeah, we have a tough job). You have until Wednesday, March 30th at midnight to enter for a chance to win. The winner will be chosen at random and announced this Thursday.
Good luck and drink up!
*Added*
The lovely folks at Whole Foods Westlake just sent me the entire menu for Sunday’s Izakaya Happy Hour- take a look and prepare to get hungry!
I primarily look for a Happy Hour that offers a good deal on FABULOUS food. Otherwise, a nice deal on great wine, or high-end cocktails is nice. I’m not interested in well drinks or mediocre house wine. A 7 days/week Happy Hour is also terrific, for maximum flexibility. General preferences: not too crowded, seasonal menus (food & drink), locally sourced items, organic, pasture-raised meat/dairy/eggs. I also prefer to stay close to my own ‘hood, so it’s not a big excursion. Past favorites: Betty, Peso’s, Frank’s Oyster House, Emmer & Rye, Flying Fish (oysters), etc.
I’m looking for a deal on cocktails and delicious, preferably local/organic small bites. Friendly service without a lot of pressure is also appreciated.
In a Whole Foods happy hour I look for good company, tasty food and a price that’s easy on the wallet. I also appreciate that the store’s happy hours consist of foods that fall out of the “ordinary” – sit down to a place of oysters, international bites, unique wines…
My favorite ‘Happy Hour’ shopping experience consists of both food and beverages. Whole Foods does me a BIG favor by grouping both together, such as wine with cheese, or drinks with snacks. I love the prepared snacks and desserts offered, and I cannot resist them. If I cannot find exactly what I’m craving, I just walk up to the sandwich bar and create my favorites! I love Whole Foods!! Thank you!!!
Dude, first of all, you would LOVE the Grocery Outlet (or the Groce-Out, as I like to call it
). You can get great cheese and organic products there, it’s awesome.
Also, for happy hour, of course I love a good deal, but since I don’t go that often, I prefer having a nice space with a good selection of items I enjoy. The vibe of the place is most important to me.
For me I am typically looking for a deal on the food rather than the drinks. There are some great places in Seattle that offer 50% their whole food menu or off some selected items. I think it’s great when happy hour runs as late as 7 or even ALL DAY happy hour. I also really appreciate it when the portion sizes are somewhat similar to the full priced items (if the item is on the regular menu). For particular foods…I love flatbreads, dips, of course oysters, and pretty much anything
Happy Hour at Whole Foods is a completely different experience. I really enjoy the different dishes Hayden has created at the Westlake store. It’s the staff and friends I’ve met here which make it all the more worthwhile to stop in to see what’s on the menu. Looking forward to the next HH evening at Whole Foods never ends. What a great concept!!
Happy Hour should feel like more than just a filler for the given restaurant/bar….filling time, space, and seats is not intrinsically happy nor festive. So, key that there need to be enough people there to make it not just the slump between lunch and dinner service. To achieve that, the place has to serve good stuff at good discounts, and not with so many restrictions as to seem anti-happy (i.e., not on weekends, only Tues, only when we don’t have non cheap-ass customers to serve, etc.)
I look for good deals on food and drink (1/2 off for 1/2 the portion is not a good deal) and more than just fried finger food on the menu. If there’s something healthy as well, big bonus.
Happy hours with great food, that run later in the evening and most recently are kid-friendly. Whole Foods Westlake meets all of these and more. It’s a wonderful feeling to be welcomed by name when we walk in. We love our Whole Foods family!
Chef Hayden has spoiled us with his ever-changing and inventive menu. We’ve had many “firsts” here – from oysters to caviar, crawfish to carpaccio, Whole Foods happy hours broaden your taste buds and are an amazing deal. Where else can you get 1/2 lb prime rib with potatoes for only $6.99? Now only if they offered happy hour everyday and for lunch as well…
For my happy hour, I look for a place with a relaxed, vibrant atmosphere with delicious, exotic foods, affordable pricing and great service. Wholefoods does this for me! It’s the best deal around.
I define a good happy hour as getting a good deal on food or drinks that I would be wanting to buy even if they weren’t on happy hour. I’m not a fan of the ones that put their less than palatable items on happy hour prices hoping to convince you to try them.
I look for yummy bites, fun new drink concoctions that I wouldn’t necessarily order as standard but would try at happy hour rates.
I need to go look and see if the Kahala Whole Foods has a happy hour now! Personally, anytime I can go to a store and find a huge selection of local fish, complete with information on how it was caught and how sustainable it is, that’s a happy hour for me.
Happy hour should be about getting a good deal! For a HH in a grocery store, I’d like to see it mixed up a bit, by showing your customers different ways to use items that they might not think of