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Now maybe someone can compare Earth Fare to Fresh Market. I haven't shopped there yet, but my friends have recommended it.
Earth Fare is much more like a Whole Foods than Fresh Market. You can find some organic items at Fresh Market, but it is not their focus. It's more of an upscale boutique grocery store - their meat department is supposed to be excellent (no personal experience there since I am vegetarian), and I find their produce of good quality. Oh, and their bakery counter is to die for.
I've been to Earth Fare once and while it was okay, I definitely wouldn't drive 15+ miles to shop there since I have a Fresh Market, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's much closer.
I feel very different about Lowes & Whole Foods. Whole Foods is this big corporation that just keeps getting bigger. I shop there occasionally. Earthfare is the David to WF's Goliath. Earthfare is going through some financial problems, I believe. I never get a sense of entitlement shopping there. They also have some of the same restrictions, e.g. nothing with HFCS, no GMO's, etc.
Now maybe someone can compare Earth Fare to Fresh Market. I haven't shopped there yet, but my friends have recommended it.
I can't tell for sure, but hope you realize I was praising Earth Fare, not Whole Foods. Whole Foods is fine but seems to be a status issue to shop there.
I don't care for Fresh Market. They have high prices and don't have a natural mission statement. It's a beautiful place to shop, but don't expect to get chemical-free or non-GMO foods there. I'd just as soon go to Lowe's.
I have only been to Earth Fare once so can't speak to their prices - but I will say that Fresh Market has lower prices than Whole Foods for the same exact Cal Organic produce.
Fresh Market is fancy, but to me they don't have much you can't get anywhere else. And I have been off their bakery, since I watched the lady "plunk, plunk, plunk" down the frozen cookie dough on the tray to "bake fresh" their "premade who knows where else" baked goods. I can get that at Harris Teeter. At least with Whole Foods, I know where there bakery is (they bake for local stores from a facility in RTP).
For meat, produce, etc. I rely on farmer's markets or Bickett Market (which sells only local, seasonal produce and meats), with Whole Foods as a back-up. But, I am lucky, as WF is very close to me, so it is convenient. I also use TJ's, and then HT for basics. Earth Fare seems fine, but very inconvenient for me (I live near downtown, EF is in Brier Creek).
I love Earth Fare. It is very convenient for me as it is on my way home from work. It is in a technically great location - 540 at 70. However, it is on the "wrong" side of Brier Creek for through traffic. (Whole Foods is entirely out of the way for me.)
Fresh Market is a poser store as far as I'm concerned. They try to create a Whole Foods/Earth Fare atmosphere without the mission behind it. Not impressed.
Trader Joe's has better prices, but they have fewer healthy and vegan options than Earth Fare, which I prefer.
Took my vegetarian daughter (she lives out of town) to Earth Fare yesterday. She was soooo excited. We bought some fresh veggies and a few other things.
Hubby and I bought a flank steak for our dinner. It was the BEST flank steak that I have ever had. I marinated it for just a short time and it was the most tender and most tasty that I have ever had.
I also noticed they had "trip tip" which is something others have asked about but I have no idea what that is!
From time to time I make a trek over from RTP to the Earth Fare hot bar to have a healthy lunch to go. I do think it is a little expensive though so I don't frequent it as much as I would like. Maybe I'm just buying the wrong stuff.
I tend not to buy too much for fear that it'll spoil too quickly. I have the same issue with Trader Joe's as well. It's not a bad thing, but when you don't use preservatives etc etc the food goes bad rather quickly. If you're a single guy like myself you blink and you gotta throw out everything in your fridge.
I tend not to buy too much for fear that it'll spoil too quickly. I have the same issue with Trader Joe's as well. It's not a bad thing, but when you don't use preservatives etc etc the food goes bad rather quickly. If you're a single guy like myself you blink and you gotta throw out everything in your fridge.
I can totally appreciate this perspective...I always end up buying frozen. I did buy 'organic' frozen veggies recently, and I'll admit, they did taste a little better than green giant!
As far as this:
"Fresh Market is a poser store as far as I'm concerned. They try to create a Whole Foods/Earth Fare atmosphere without the mission behind it. Not impressed."
I don't really agree - I've known Fresh Market for well over a decade (more like 2), in Charlotte and Raleigh, and I don't really think they intend to compete with the mission of Whole Foods - I think (even if they don't state it) that they just intend to provide 'fresh' - not necessarily organic or local (they still sell Coke!). I don't think of them as a poser...more like something between Harris Teeter and Whole Foods. I don't shop there often, but I think it's a pretty unique experience and am glad they are present in this market.
I tend to think of Earth Fare as a mini-whole foods, and would shop there, except as others point out - the distance.
They do have a lot of great stuff in there. I usually go in there because they're the only place in the area I can usually find Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream...
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