DOM’s Kitchen & Market provides a restaurant ambiance along with grocery

I had the chance to speak with supermarket legend Bob Mariano about his new DOM’s Kitchen & Market grocery concept by phone. As CEO of Roundy’s, Bob created Mariano’s before selling Roundy’s to Kroger in 2015. Mariano’s welcomed Chicagoland supermarket shoppers with live piano music, coffee & gelato bars, and sushi and oyster bars. Prior to Roundy’s, Bob served as CEO of Dominick’s Finer Foods before it was purchased by Safeway. The two other DOM’s co-founders are Don Fitzgerald, a former senior executive at Roundy’s, Mariano’s, and Dominick’s; and Jay Owen, great-grandson of Dominick’s founder Dominick DiMatteo and Managing Partner at Dom Capital Group. A few days after the call, I talked to Bob and a number of DOM’s employees in person when I visited the store in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. I previously wrote a Case Study: DOM’s Kitchen & Market May Offer Glimpse at Future of Grocers - The Food Institute for The Food Institute. Scroll to end of article for recommendations from Bob and me on what to eat and drink at DOM's.

Bob’s vision for DOM’s Kitchen & Market

Mariano sees DOM’s as “a gathering space for people, gather around food and meal occasions. We prepare food for consumers eating at the store, consumers eating at home, and those buying the ingredients to make food at home. Food is a catalyst for gathering in a socially positive way.”

The main gathering space is the Chef’s Table in the center of the store, an expo kitchen that hosts special events and pop-ups. During one visit, Chef/Owner Martial Noguier of Bistronomic (in photo) demonstrated how to make a grilled cheese sandwich and offered samples while it was livestreamed on Instagram. When not hosting special events such as a Pride Brunch Party, the Chef’s Table currently offers the Burger Bar as a pop-up during lunch and dinner. Mariano says that “We are working on developing a pop-up restaurant, with third parties. Bring a different menu for a limited time so shoppers can learn about different cuisines, learn how to make a dish. Pop-ups based on season, scheduling availability, and product availability.”

Outdoors, DOM’s can host sidewalk sales, game nights, and barbecue (there is a grill outside). On the night I visited, the folks from Party Can brought a magician and party games along with samples of their Margarita, Cosmicpolitan, and Old Fashioned. Another place to gather is the Wine Library where part-time Wine Ambassadors @swayne.martin [in photo] and @willellingson (both pilots by day) occasionally share their love of wine and joie de vivre over wine and food samples.

Big emphasis on foodservice

When you enter DOM’s, you’ll see that it looks more like an upscale urban restaurant than a supermarket. Everything about DOM’s – the décor, the furniture, the open kitchen, and the staff uniforms – gives off a polished vibe, courtesy of Rockwell Group that has designed Nobu Downtown New York and Chicago’s RPM Steak restaurants. Mariano says, “We purposely hired Rockwell Group. Many of us had experience in food but in the retail sector. Rockwell Group has done a lot of work in the hospitality industry. We wanted them to challenge us as we designed the concept. David Rockwell has won an Emmy as well as the James Beard award. We wanted a warm, comfortable gathering place for locals to come every day, come to enjoy their coffee, sandwiches, and pizza. There's no table service but beyond that it's a restaurant. We offer alcoholic beverages, complete meals and dessert. It's a little more serve yourself. The greenhouse room is very comfortable.”

A substantial portion of the small-format (17,150 square foot) space is devoted to foodservice and dining areas. DOM’s has four food stalls (Plant Butcher, The Stackup, The Hearth, Gohan), The Brew coffee and wine bar, a Chef’s Table, and multiple seating areas indoors and outdoors. You will not see salad and hot bars at DOM’s as they designed them out when COVID hit.

Bob’s recommendations:

“Bonci pizzas are excellent. It’s the way they make pizza in Rome. We assemble it, bake it, and serve it. After you order it, we put it in the oven again to give it that characteristic crunch.” A rotating variety of Bonci pizzas (including vegan options) are scissor-cut and sold by the pound at The Hearth including Potato & Mozzarella, Ricotta Zucchini, Sopressata, Spicy Eggplant, Sun Dried Tomato Arugula, and Mushroom Rosa.

“Hexemoto Pour Over is a great cup of coffee.” The American whiskey barrel aged dark roast from Hexe Coffee is prepared in the Poursteady Automatic Pour Over Coffee Machine.

The Fresh Prince of Chicago from The Stackup: grilled skirt steak, giardiniera aioli, pickled sweet peppers, and fontina cheese on a sub roll.

My recommendations:

Dom’s Classic Hamburger served at the Burger Bar (Chef’s Table): made with beef from Meats by Linz (a third-generation Chicago company that delivers fine cut steaks to steakhouses such as Gibson’s Steakhouse) and served with rosemary parmesan fries.

KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) wings were not officially on the menu at Gohan but get them if they are offered. The crispy wings are mixed with a honey, soy, and ginger sauce and came with pickled daikon.

Peanut Tofu Crunch Salad from the Plant Butcher: vegan with sesame-marinated tofu with veggies, mango, and peanut sauce.

Little Devil Cocktail from The Brew: made with Libelula Tequila, Apologue Aronia Liqueur, lime, and Top Note Ginger Beer.