First Look: New Whole Foods Opens Friday

Whole Foods in Orland Park is almost ready to open.

Inside the 27,500 square-foot store will be fresh, seasonal produce; sustainably caught seafood and humanely raised meat; an array of specialty cheeses, wines and beers; gluten and dairy free items, and other items labeled for special diets; all-natural bath products; in-house made baked goods, pizza, hot entrees, sushi, deli sandwiches and more.

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Store Team Leader Emily Conklin said the store will stock items based on what customers ask for and what is brought to the register, to cater to local taste.

The store at 15260 S. LaGrange Road will open with a bread-breaking ceremony at 8:45 a.m. Friday, Nov. 2.

While people have expressed excitement over the store's opening, others have noted that Whole Foods prices can be higher for similar items at competing grocery stores.

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"We are sensitive to that aspect, and we make sure we have something for everyone," Conklin said. "We encourage people to keep an eye out for specials that we'll have often, and also that our in-house 365 brand found throughout the store is a more cost-effective option. We want to bring a lot of value to the community inside our store and out in the town."

Before opening, they have already built partnerships where they will donate food to the Orland Township Food Pantry, Together We Cope and the St. Coletta’s of Illinois Foundation. The store has also sponsored the Orland Park Turkey Trot, and will be donating 5 percent of all sales on Wednesday, Nov. 14 to The Bridge Teen Center.

Other events and fundraisers are in the works, according to Kristen Mackiney, who runs marketing and communications for the Orland Park store.

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Here is a list of the store’s features from Conklin:

Along with our outstanding selection of natural and organic groceries, you will find a wide variety of options for any gathering or celebration, including:

• 5-Step Rated Meat: By adopting Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating, we provide shoppers with a new level of transparency about how farm animals are raised.
• Seafood from Sustainable Sources: We closely monitor the status of any seafood species sold in our stores to ensure we’re supporting healthy marine ecosystems.
• Salad and Hot Bars: Choose from freshly prepared salads, build-your-own salad fixings and hot entrees from around the world. Everything is priced by weight, so mix and match!
• Health Starts Here (HSH) Program: Providing the tools and education to help you make healthier choices, every day. The food bars will always offer an assortment of specially crafted Health Starts Here dishes for your convenience.
• “Cooking” Department: Dried back-to-basics pantry items to meet all your cooking needs. Discover new ways to use staples in your culinary adventures.
• Diverse Foods from Around the Globe: A variety of foods to meet diverse cultural and dietary needs.
• Grab and Go Pastries: Enjoy a wide variety of freshly baked pastries including croissants, muffins, cookies, soft pretzels and more!
• Catering Service: Our experienced catering department will help you build a menu filled with your choice of fresh, delicious, all-natural foods.

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