"We are so excited to be the first store opening in Raleigh. This community is amazing and we can't wait to be a part of it," store manager Hallie Johnston said.
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Just three days before opening, Wegmans is already bustling and busy stocking the shelves and training its nearly 500 employees--about 400 of those employees were hired in the Triangle.
"They've been traveling for training. We want them to understand the cultures so they've been to our stores in Virginia. They've worked in our stores there and they're bringing that culture here for opening day," Johnston said.
The 104,000 square foot store mixes local products from the Triangle and features products from Wegman's upstate New York home as well. But each store stays true to its roots.
"At all of our stores, the first thing you're going to walk into is produce department. Produce is at the foundation of our company. We started in 1916 as a produce cart," Wegman's Tracy VanAuker said.
But if you don't feel like shopping and putting all the ingredients together yourself, you have options.
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"You can have a sandwich. You can go and get fresh made sushi. You can grab a burger if you'd like. If you want a made to order salad we'll make it right in front of you. And that's the best part of Wegman's, you get a little bit of everything. Everyone gets to walk away happy and your entire family can walk away smiling," said Rob Santiago, executive chef.
It's a store three years in the making but with just a few more finishing touches, Wegman's will soon call the triangle home.
This is the first of six stores to open. Another Wegman's is expected to open in Cary sometime in 2020.
The store, located at 1200 Wake Towne Drive, officially opens on Sunday morning at 7 a.m. There will be off-duty Raleigh police officers directing traffic.