(Google Maps)
One of thirteen remaining Food Emporium locations in the tri-state area is shutting its doors and leaving many Upper East Siders without their go-to supermarket.
The Food Emporium, located at 1175 Third Avenue between 68th and 69th streets, has been operating in its current form for approximately seven years, when previous parent company A&P filed for bankruptcy and Key Food Stores Co-op, Inc. acquired 23 stores. We first became aware of the impending closure thanks @UESThings, and confirmed the news with a customer service representative reached by phone.
Advertisement
According to the store employee, the 25,350-square-foot grocery store will close by the end of March. As of right now, all frozen food items are 20 percent off. Next week, the discount will increase to 25 percent — and the following, markdowns will continue to a whopping 50 percent. There’s also a 20 percent off promotion on all wines and spirits in the attached liquor store (which, alongside the main hub and cafe, is also on its way out), but we were unable to confirm if there will be a further drop.
Though it’s unclear why this branch is soon to be kaput, the employee isn’t happy with how it went down. “Customers knew we were closing before we did,” she noted. “Now everybody is sad, but they could have done more. They could have petitioned to keep the store open.”
Often renowned for being a more affordable option in a particularly pricey neighborhood, some suggest quality has waned as of late. A Yelp review from earlier this month reads, “This once lovely store on 68th Street and 3rd Avenue should be closed. It is disgusting, dirty and rat-infested. The shelves and floors are filthy with dirty rags on the floor, empty soda bottles in corners and the escalator has remained broken for months.”
