ROCHESTER, NY – What’s your food mood? Deep comfort, as in a 12-ounce strip steak? Maybe a fish taco that can wake up your mouth with chipotle sauce, pico de gallo, guacamole and lime sour cream? Or perhaps a cheeseburger — something you know and love, but one that’s good enough to tell your friends about. Whatever you crave, the updated Pub restaurants at Wegmans’ Malvern and Collegeville stores are ready to bring more delicious options to the table than ever before.
The Malvern Pub had its grand reopening on Saturday, May 3 and the Collegeville Pub had its grand reopening on Thursday, May 8.
“We think customers will love what we’ve done to make these popular dining spots even more appealing,” said Kathy Haines, Wegmans’ director of in-store restaurants. “We’ve learned a lot since opening our first Pub about five years ago, and when customers have suggested changes that could improve the experience, we’ve listened.”
So what’s new?
- Refreshed menu: Chefs have updated entrées and created side dishes as a perfect match, for a symphony of flavors; entrée salads have been added; snacks and sharings have a contemporary tilt. It’s approachable food with flair.
- Outstanding beverage choices: The best local craft brews, beers on tap and by the bottle; distinctive, food-friendly red and white wines by the glass or bottle; seasonal cocktails, and specialty beverages.
- New look and feel: More low, comfortable, family-friendly tables and chairs. Curtains that distance the bustle of the store from your dining table, for more relaxation and privacy. Linen napkins, rather than paper.
- Reservations available: The Pubs accept reservations through Open Table and by phone.
All dishes are made fresh to order with premium ingredients from the market. “Just one bite tells customers their meal with us is higher in quality than ones they’ve had at many other casual dining spots,” Haines says. “We’ve also expanded our beer and wine list, to offer an outstanding selection at very competitive prices. We think dining with us offers an excellent value.”
Menu items now making a debut . . .
New snacks and sharings range in price from $4 to $10 and include Yuengling Beer-Steamed PEI Mussels with shallot-thyme butter and a warm baguette, San Marzano Tomato Naan Pizza, and more. Entrée salads are priced from $10 to $14, for selections like Spinach and Strawberry Salmon Salad, with lemon-garlic marinated chicken breast, crumbled Feta, sliced almonds, balsamic vinaigrette and balsamic glaze or the Asian Chicken Salad with pulled rotisserie chicken, mixed greens, shaved red and green cabbage, carrot, orange, crispy shallot, and lemongrass-lime vinaigrette.
Three sandwiches on the new menu come with a side of Tuscan fries. There’s the Pub Cheese Burger ($11), with Adams Reserve cheddar, Wegmans Thousand Island dressing, leaf lettuce and vine-ripened tomato; the Applewood Bacon Burger ($12), with cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, red onion, pickle, leaf lettuce and tomato; and the Pub Steak Wrap ($11), with mushrooms, caramelized onions, lettuce, Adams Reserve cheddar, tomato, and savory finishing sauce.
Other sandwiches from $10 to $14 include the Cubano Sandwich, with Columbus fire-roasted pork, Virginia baked ham, sliced pickle, Swiss cheese, and yellow mustard; a Lobster Roll; and a Lemon Garlic Chicken Sandwich with cheddar cheese, avocado, Wegmans applewood-smoked bacon, parmesan aioli, leaf lettuce and vine-ripened tomato.
For a more substantial meal, try the chef-inspired plates ($10-$19) like Summer Harvest Pasta with spaghetti, zucchini, basil, carrots, mushrooms, and sugar snap peas, tossed in a light San Marzano sauce; or Atlantic Farm-Raised Salmon with sautéed spinach, shaved fennel, red onion, tarragon, artichokes, peas and Bouillabaisse sauce. (Many dishes on the menu are prepared with sauces you can buy in the market, so guests can pick up a bottle and recreate their meal at home).
Eight brews on tap lead off the drink menu, including local craft beers, like the Tale Chaser IPA, made exclusively for Wegmans by Sly Fox in Phoenixville PA. Another 27 domestic, imported and craft beers are available by the bottle, from Pilsners and Lagers to Pale Ales, Belgian Style, and Stouts, at prices from $3.25 to $5 per serving.
Wines by the glass range from $6 to $8, and include popular, food-friendly varietals, like Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Merlot, and Shiraz.
Signature cocktails range from $6 to $10. Peak of Perfection Sangria is made fresh with fruit from the market and sold by the glass or carafe. There are also non-alcoholic specialty beverages like Saranac 1888 Black Cherry Cream and Saranac 1888 Ginger Beer for $2.50.
During Happy Hour from 4-6 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, appetizers are just $4, select draft beer or wine by the glass is $3, and signature cocktails are $5.
Also new when The Pub reopens is that tipping will be allowed. Previously, servers at Malvern and Collegeville could not accept tips. Now guests may tip their server as is permitted at other Wegmans Pubs. After experience with both tipping and no-tipping policies in restaurants Wegmans operates, the company has come to believe that tipping makes sense, and in fact, many customers have wanted to leave a tip, according to Haines.
What the menu and design changes all add up to, Haines says, is a step up in service and atmosphere. “It’s a better guest experience. We’re becoming more of a destination dining spot. If guests are in the mood for a burger, they’ll come to us for the best in town. And if they feel like something else, we now offer many, many more choices. What stays the same is everything is made just to order, from the freshest and best ingredients sourced right from the market.”
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is an 84-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The family-owned company, founded in 1916, is recognized as an industry leader and innovator. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 17 consecutive years. In 2014, Wegmans ranked #12 on the list.
Source: Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
