The Fresh Grocer Kicks Off Festive Season With Visit from the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan and Santa
New family-owned store in Oakdale, the first Fresh Grocer in New York, hosts holiday truck and offers roasted chestnuts, pretzels, coffee and hot cocoa to customers
Oakdale, N.Y. (Dec. 10, 2024) — The Fresh Grocer in Oakdale is all about family, food and value, and the new store kicked off the holiday season Dec. 7 with a visit from the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan and Santa. Visitors snapped pictures with Santa and enjoyed free Coca-Cola samples, roasted chestnuts, pretzels, fresh-brewed coffee from Brooklyn Boys Coffee and hot chocolate at the store in Lighthouse Commons, 885 Montauk Highway.
“Our family lives and works on Long Island and we are excited to kick off this holiday season with a special event at our newest store, The Fresh Grocer,” said Ken Thompson Jr., chief operating officer of K. Thompson Foods and a resident of nearby Halesite. “It’s our way of saying thank you to our customers and reminding shoppers that they can get all their groceries, custom cut meats, fresh prepared meals, appetizers, specialty items and catering at our store. We’ve got everything for the holidays at great values.”
Inside the store, visitors will find fresh prepared foods, groceries and produce in a full-service supermarket format. The store also features photographs and murals of community and family, including a large black and white photo of Ken’s father, Ken Sr., from early in his career in the supermarket business. The picture, taken in 1968, shows Ken Sr. working as a store manager at a supermarket in Patchogue.
Today, more than a half century later, Ken Sr. works with his son and grandson, Ken Thompson III; and daughter, Danielle Johnston. The family also runs ShopRite stores in Deer Park, Uniondale and Riverhead, NY, and they opened their newest store, The Fresh Grocer, in late August. Conveniently located on Montauk Highway, the Oakdale store also services neighboring Sayville, Bohemia, East Islip and beyond.
Wall murals in the new store highlight historic sites and buildings in the community, including St. John’s Episcopal Church, built in 1765, and the former Vanderbilt gatehouse. The store design, which incorporates a lighthouse feature, is a nod to the waterfront community of Oakdale.
The store is packed with a variety of groceries and includes a fresh prepared foods section with restaurant-quality, take-home meals at best-in-market pricing. Ken Thompson Jr. says popular items include the rotisserie chicken salad, prepared daily, and freshly-made pasta, ravioli and focaccia bread and vegetable boards.
“This new store showcases our commitment to offer incredible value, quality and service, along with the convenience of a smaller format grocery store,” Thompson noted.
At nearly 30,000-square-feet, The Fresh Grocer in Oakdale also features a from-scratch bakery with special occasion cakes, pastries and freshly made bread; a meat department where trained butchers custom cut meat for customers; a full-service seafood department with daily, fresh-catch deliveries including littleneck clams sourced from local waters; a deli featuring made-to-order sandwiches; a fresh prepared foods department with grab-and-go items; and catering services. The store also offers a wide selection of international products and cheeses, sushi and frozen, dairy and floral departments. Online shopping services are available on TheFreshGrocer.com, or on TheFreshGrocer mobile app.
About The Fresh Grocer:
The Fresh Grocer, a registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States, is an accomplished supermarket specializing in providing high quality fresh foods and groceries in urban and suburban neighborhoods. The Fresh Grocer is committed to understanding local needs, tastes and traditions and improving food access for its customers, associates, and communities. For more information, please visit www.thefreshgrocer.com.
