Gordon Food Service, a privately held and family-managed foodservice distributor with operations in the U.S. and Canada, opened six new Gordon Food Service Stores in the greater Houston, TX area to serve local restaurants, food operations and the public. The new Gordon Food Service Stores are the first Texas locations and the most opened by the company at one time.
Primarily designed to provide chef-quality food products to restaurant owners and foodservice professionals of all types, the new Gordon Food Service Stores will also cater to home shoppers with an assortment of packaged and fresh produce and goods, much of which will be prepared on site.
Each facility will employ an average of 40 full- and part-time team members and measure between 25,000 to 30,000 square feet in size with a modern, fresh décor and easy to navigate layouts for quick shopping.
“Gordon Food Service Store believes in the power of good food and its ability to bring people together and make moments special,” said Tim Grabar, president, Gordon Food Service Stores. “We are excited to open our doors to the greater Houston community and provide the chef-quality food products our stores are known for.”
The stores offer large seasonal produce department with an assortment of the best market-direct items available as well as fresh meats available by the piece, pound, or case.
The Texas stores feature wholesale walk-in customer coolers housing cases of produce, meats, and dairy items. Each Houston unit will include a Tortillerias that produces fresh tortillas daily.
The company is entering Houston as the retail vacancy rate in the region has dropped below 5 percent. The company filled a former Goodwill space at 12553 Westheimer at Dairy Ashford; a space at North Oaks at 4601 FM 1960 West; a former Sears Hardware at 649 Mason Road in Katy; and a former Palais Royal at 215 W. Main St. in League City. Future stores are slated to open on North Braeswood Boulevard at Chimney Rock in a former Belden’s grocery store and in Antoine Square, 5151 Antoine Drive at Pinemont Drive, in a former Kroger.
The company has also brought it Gordon Go! Program. The free wholesale loyalty program is available to businesses and nonprofit customers to earn points that can be spent like cash or redeemed for $1,000 checks. The stores also feature Convenient online ordering for same day in-store pick up. There is also same day Express Van Delivery service available. Gordon Food Service Stores will operate 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST on Sunday.
The family-operated company was founded more than 125 years ago as a butter and egg delivery service. In 2014, it acquired Houston-based Glazier Foods, a family-owned food-service company, to grow its presence in the Southwest. The first store opened in Wyoming, Mich., near Grand Rapids, in 1979 to serve restaurants that ran out of product between deliveries. The company has 175 stores in 13 states, with most in Michigan.
Because it is privately held, Gordon Food Service does not disclose financials but it claims to be the largest family-managed broadline food distribution company in North America. It is entering the grocery market in Houston, which is home to Sysco, the nation’s largest food-service operator with global sales to commercial clients of more than $68 billion.
