Palo Alto shoppers won't have any trouble knowing which family is in charge of the new College Terrace supermarket.
After some initial confusion over naming rights, the City Council gave its support on Monday night to the Khoury family, which will operate the new market at the College Terrace Centre, the blocklong development at 2100 El Camino Real. Departing from its initial plan to rebrand itself as JJ&F Market, a neighborhood fixture for decades, the new operator will now try to establish his own local legacy by naming the new store Khoury's Market.
The development has been without a market since December 2017, when College Terrace Market closed shop after about six months of operation.
Now, the Khourys believe they will have better luck. They had already operated a market on this block between 2011, when they took over ownership of JJ&F Market from the Garcia family, and 2014, when the market was shuttered to make way for the new mixed-use development. In August, the family patriarch, Joe Khoury, announced his plan to return to College Terrace, prompting talk among city officials of JJ&F's return.
The celebration was short-lived, however, as the Garcia family chafed at the appropriation of their former market's name. Faced with the Garcia family's concerns, the Khourys moved to drop the former name and use its own.
Jason Oberman, whose company, Blox Ventures, purchased the blocklong development earlier this year, said the Khoury family was his top choice to operate the new market. He noted that Jalil "Papa Joe" Khoury and his five sons all have experience working at the site and that they look forward to returning there.
The family, Oberman said, has been in the grocery business for more than 50 years, he told the council on Monday. They currently own and operate Park Plaza Fine Foods in San Francisco. Their other area businesses included Pohley's Market in Windsor (which operated from 1979 to 2016) and Cunha's Country Store in Half Moon Bay (which Joe Khoury's son, Mark, ultimately sold to his cousin.) The family also owns and operates the restaurant The Courthouse 2021 in Redwood City, according to a letter from Oberman.
"Now, they're very excited about potential of opening up in a new building on a site where they operated previously," Oberman told the council on Monday.
Oberman hailed Khoury's Market as a "new chapter for the property," which includes the First Republic Bank as its anchor tenant.
"This fresh start for the Khoury family underscores their updated approach to their produce, prepared food and deli items – seeking to bring back their old friends and now attract new neighbors to the market here in Palo Alto," Oberman said in a statement.
Blox had plenty of incentives to fill the vacancy. Because the project exceeded zoning regulations, it was approved as a "planned community" development, with the grocery store serving as the primary "public benefit" that justifies the zoning exemptions. With the market shuttering, building owners were required to pay daily fines until the new grocery is approved. To date, these fines have totaled more than $180,000, according to a report from the Department of Planning and Community Environment.
The council approved the new market on its "consent calendar," with no discussion or debate, by an 8-0 vote, with Mayor Liz Kniss absent. The family hopes to open the store in November, according to Oberman's letter.
Comments
another community
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:40 am
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:40 am
[Post removed; JJ&F family is not involved in this store.]
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:41 am
Registered user
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:41 am
Unless neighbors make this their go to market, it will most likely fail. The footprint is too small, there is too much competition close by, hardly any parking, and stopping in for a carton of milk or loaf of bread won't cut it. Yet, they'll cry about not having the market that was promised. Put you money where your mouths are.
I wish the Khoury family good luck. They'll need it. The market at Edgewood Plaza is faced with the same fate. Every time I go in there, the place is nearly empty.
Registered user
College Terrace
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:41 am
Registered user
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:41 am
It makes sense to call the grocery Khoury's Market; I also think Papa Joe's would have been a fun and fitting name!
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:45 am
Registered user
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:45 am
@ marie...the Garcia family of JJ&F is not involved in running this store. They allowed the Khoury family to use the name temporarily to get them up and running previously.
College Terrace
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:51 am
on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:51 am
Does anyone know when the Khoury family plans to open the market? I'm anxious to shop there again.
Midtown
on Oct 16, 2018 at 11:02 am
on Oct 16, 2018 at 11:02 am
“Its so great and weird to have the JJ&F family once again run a grocery store on the the property they used to occupy only under a different name now.”
This is not being run by the JJ&F family, who are the Garcia’s. It was named after the brothers (Joe, John, and Frank). This is the Khourys, another family who used that name while runnng he store awhile ago.
Read carefully!!
College Terrace
on Oct 16, 2018 at 12:49 pm
on Oct 16, 2018 at 12:49 pm
I wish the Khourys well in this new venture. I remember when they took over after JJ & F a few years ago. The store was dirty (floors filthy) and shelves were empty or sparsely stocked pretty much all the time. It was never fun shopping there like it was during the JJ & F days. We would ask for certain items to be stocked, like Acme bread, and while they said they would do it, they never did. We all know this is a tough location, especially since Trader Joe’s opened. The JJ & F guys told me they lost 300+ sales a day the first day TJ‘s went into operation. I would love the Khourys to be wildly successful, but they’re going to have to really step up their game to be so.
College Terrace
on Oct 16, 2018 at 12:49 pm
on Oct 16, 2018 at 12:49 pm
Aside from providing College Terrace and Stanford with closer shopping choices, please Khoury's accept Electronic Benefit Transfer or food stamps and WIC (women infants and children). Many grad students raising families and enrolled at Stanford are using EBT to help offset the astronomical housing prices here. Also the low-come apartments behind the grocery store and ups the street on the same side of this space will be able to shop there to feed their children.
Registered user
College Terrace
on Oct 16, 2018 at 1:16 pm
Registered user
on Oct 16, 2018 at 1:16 pm
The developers doomed the store by orienting it north towards El Camino. The old JJ&F had a very different feel spilling out onto College ave to serve College Terrace. I just dont understand why they had to put office space where JJ&F used to be.
University South
on Oct 16, 2018 at 1:32 pm
on Oct 16, 2018 at 1:32 pm
>...please Khoury's accept Electronic Benefit Transfer or food stamps...
Yes. We reside in an RV parked along ECR and being able to shop at Khoury's with our food stamp/EBT card would be very convenient.
Some of the more upscale grocery stores like Draegers do not accept them. Their loss.
College Terrace
on Oct 17, 2018 at 12:02 am
on Oct 17, 2018 at 12:02 am
RV Dweller,
you would actually want to use your food stamps in Draegers and pay their high prices? That way you would be able to buy much less stuff, no? Why not go somewhere normal, cheaper, and get more stuff for your stamp money?
Southgate
on Oct 17, 2018 at 9:04 am
on Oct 17, 2018 at 9:04 am
> We reside in an RV parked along ECR and being able to shop at Khoury's with our food stamp/EBT card would be very convenient. Some of the more upscale grocery stores like Draegers do not accept them.
>>you would actually want to use your food stamps in Draegers and pay their high prices? That way you would be able to buy much less stuff, no? Why not go somewhere normal, cheaper, and get more stuff for your stamp money?
This is Palo Alto where everyone is upscale.
Midtown
on Oct 17, 2018 at 8:32 pm
on Oct 17, 2018 at 8:32 pm
@ Welcome to Palo Alto - "This is Palo Alto where everyone is upscale."
...except for Grocery Outlet Bargain Market on Alma. That place is a bargain shopper's dream! Although their selection differs constantly, they always have staple items (e.g., milk, eggs, rice, meats, cheese, etc.) along with some very surprisingly high-quality finds.
I'd also add the fact that Trader Joe's prices are very good for Palo Alto too. I am beginning to wonder if either a Grocery Outlet or Trader Joe's might be the best option for this odd location.
I'll wish the Khoury family all the best. I hope that they can make a grocery story there that is worthwhile to the owners and residents alike.
Charleston Meadows
on Oct 17, 2018 at 9:13 pm
on Oct 17, 2018 at 9:13 pm
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market is fun -- you never know what treasure you will find! It's like Marshalls, but with more food :)
Ventura
on Oct 18, 2018 at 8:49 am
on Oct 18, 2018 at 8:49 am
> ...except for Grocery Outlet Bargain Market on Alma.
Agreed...when it comes to getting more bang for the buck, Draegers or the new Khoury's may not be a sound choice for grocery shopping.
The problem is that some of these transient RV dwellers would have to sacrifice their prime real estate holdings (aka parking spaces) in order to get there if the RV was operational and their sole means of transportation.
Registered user
College Terrace
on Oct 18, 2018 at 9:23 am
Registered user
on Oct 18, 2018 at 9:23 am
When I went to Grocery Outlet I noticed food that was almost expired,
mostly processed, and a terrible produce selection.
Khoury's will not be like the previous Miki's market.
My guess it will have choices for all pocketbooks and not super high-end.
I personally do not want a cheap market there with over-packaged food.
That's not healthy for anyone including RV dwellers.
Maybe some of those RV's can move closer to the Grocery Outlet
and away from El Camino?
Ventura
on Oct 18, 2018 at 10:07 am
on Oct 18, 2018 at 10:07 am
> When I went to Grocery Outlet I noticed food that was almost expired, mostly processed, and a terrible produce selection.
>>That's not healthy for anyone including RV dwellers. Maybe some of those RV's can move closer to the Grocery Outlet and away from El Camino?
Uh. Did you not contradict yourself here?
Midtown
on Oct 18, 2018 at 10:19 am
on Oct 18, 2018 at 10:19 am
@ eileen - We have shopped at Grocery Outlet often. It certainly isn't Whole Foods or Sprouts. However, it offers quite a bit of choice. They often have organic and "upscale" items.
In fact, I believe that there is an entire section dedicated to organic or "wholesome" items (the northwest wall between the yogurt and bread) and an adjacent aisle opposite water and drinks.
In addition, like "I agree with above" stated, it is almost like a treasure hunt for groceries. Sometimes, you can get amazing deals for very good items. Those items change often.
I've never actually bought anything that was expired. Obviously, there is a shelf-life or expiration date for most things. However, I've noticed that the "cage-free, organic eggs" have a slightly longer date than what I've bought at Safeway.
I never thought that any grocery store would do well in that location. I thought that the best-case scenario would be yet another Trader Joe's opening there. I was wrong. Grocery Outlet is a welcome option that seems to be doing very well.