The Pub at Wegmans Collegeville, PA: Rethink your lunch Strategy

So who goes to a grocery store to eat lunch? You’re thinking “I might go to buy lunch, but I’m not hanging around.” If that grocery store is Wegmans, then you might consider grocery store as lunch hot spot.

The Pub at Wegmans is a new concept in what a grocery store can be. With the demise of Barnes & Noble as a place where people can go and hang out, I predict a new role for the grocery store – community hub. Wegmans already has a reputation for providing a place where folks can gather, from the celebrity chef events to family movie night, to meeting space to community rooms where folks can hang out and play Bridge. Wegmans understands that if they can get you to come to the store, you’ll find something to like and you’ll come back.

The Pub is just such a place. It has seating, just like a café; it has wait-staff just like a café; it has a seasonal menu, just like a café. The prices are on par with what you might pay in a high end café, this isn’t diner food. If you choose bar seating, you will be able to watch your food as it is prepared, which I like for many reasons. It is a little noisier than a traditional café, since you are in a grocery store, you’re aware of foot traffic.

On my first lunch visit, I ordered a slider plate consisting of a turkey burger, pulled pork and a lobster roll. I admit, I ordered this plate so I could try the lobster roll. Your choice of side is either the vegetable of the day or a Greek style salad. On my last two visits, I stuck with the lobster roll. Just enough lobster, just enough crunch, not too mayonnaise-y, served on a buttered, toasted roll. I also ordered the Greek style salad each time. I am looking forward to trying the naan pizza and the pasta features when the lobster roll goes off menu. While you may opt for a glass of wine or beer with your meal, I opted for desert, which features Wegmans desert products. They have a rotating seasonal pie, ice cream deserts, cake, and “adult” coffee drinks.

On the first visit, I opted for the chocolate cake. The cake was dense, moist and chocolaty. The frosting was creamy, not grainy and chocolaty. It was about the most perfect chocolate cake I have had in a long time, better than what I’ve tasted from stand-alone bakeries. On my next visit, I opted for the white cake. Again, the cake was dense, moist and flavored with vanilla. Not too sweet, as though it were trying to make up for being plain old white cake. The frosting was a white frosting, sweet and creamy, not grainy. All cake is served with a side of seasonal berries and a dollop of fresh whipped cream. On my last visit, I convinced my companion to go for the white cake, while I enjoyed a sundae. The sundae features Wegmans soft serve vanilla ice cream, which I believe is limited to certain stores. The only complaint I had is that there wasn’t enough fudge sauce…in my opinion, there is never enough fudge sauce…but that is the worst thing I could say about it.

The portion sizes are generous without being over-sized. The Pub menu also has calorie counts on its offerings, which is a blessing and a curse. If you’re watching your diet, it’s very helpful; if you’re eating because lunch the best thing that is going to happen to you that day, you may wish to ignore the calorie count or make an appropriate adjustment at the next meal time.

One awkward thing about the pub is the no-tipping policy. I’m so programmed to tip, that it does feel a little strange not to do so. My understanding is that if you feel compelled to tip, it goes into a pool and all the servers share it.

So rethink your lunch strategy. The Pub at Wegmans offers a set menu, plus seasonal dishes and adult beverages. There is a Pub in Collegeville and Malvern, PA. Check your Wegmans website for additional locations.