With much fanfare (a marching band played and Coach Cal cut the ribbon), Lexington’s Disco Kroger (on Euclid) opened at 8 am this morning.
A few hundred hungry locals began gathering as early as 7 am on the chilly early January morning to celebrate the end of the food desert created when the store closed in March of 2014 for a teardown and rebuild.
Traffic was, as expected, brisk. The surface lot was filled to capacity, leaving early-morning shoppers to test the rooftop parking.
As promised, the new location includes a beer cave, a cupcake bar, a large section of organics, and even popular food trucks’ food carts (Athenian Grill, and La Petite Creperie serving up crepes). The new olive bar is comparable to the ones at Fresh Market and Whole Foods. Carry-out pizza is available (and includes a Hot Brown offering). New York-based Murray’s cheese shop comes with a master cheese purveyor and there will be grilled cheese options on Fridays at lunchtime.
The Euclid Kroger is expected to be staffed by about 300 employees, with some longtime neighborhood favorites returning from their suburban posts.
As Legend has it (meaning it might or might not be true), Kroger on Euclid was the first Kroger in Lexington to be open 24 hours, circa 1970s, making it an after-hours mecca for Cruising when bars like the Bungalow closed for the night. Hence: Disco Kroger. That’s the story, as told to Ace, circa 1989.
Next door neighbors began referring to it as Fort Kroger in 2013 council meetings, objecting to the setback line that brought the store up to the street on Marquis and on Euclid Ave.
Kroger Wine and Spirits also opened today at the corner of Euclid and Ashland Avenues (joining an already competitive neighborhood liquor landscape that includes Liquor Barn Express and Corner Wines).
Kroger on Euclid is open 24/7. The pharmacy (which now includes a drive-through) is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 9 pm; Saturday 9 am to 6 pm; and Sunday 10 am to 6 pm.
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For more Lexington, Kentucky arts, food, culture, and entertainment news — and 38 years of definitive coverage on the Disco Kroger—click here to subscribe to the Ace digital e-dition, emailed to your inbox every Thursday morning.
To submit a Lexington, Kentucky food, wine, or spirits news item for consideration in Ace’s Best Bites, email acelist@aceweekly.com. To submit a Lexington Food, Wine, or Spirits Event to be considered for the Ace calendar, please go to the Ace online calendar, and click “Submit” (upper right on the Menu bar). For advertising, call Ace Advertising at 859.225.4889 x229.
Photos by Kakie Urch.
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