KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

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TenPoundHammer
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Post by TenPoundHammer »

RandallFlagg wrote:Also most of the stores when I worked there were numbered with 4 digits. The first digit was the size of the store. The old 60's stores usually were size 4 stores. They were pretty big for the time. My store being a 80's model size 7 was fairly small.
Are you sure about the store number system? I know that Grayling, Michigan is a 9xxx store, but it's really small (maybe 40-50K at the most).
wnetmacman
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Post by wnetmacman »

If I remember the numbering system correctly:

3xxx/4xxx stores were the original format - about 80,000 square feet, and usually had an attached grocery. (I think Garden City was 4000)
7xxx stores were mostly built in the 70's, and were around 70,000 square feet. They are the most recognizable stores, with the angled overhang near the doors. (some stores I remember - Longview TX is 7056, New Iberia, LA is 7045, I think)
9xxx stores were one of two designs: a mall store or 40,000 square feet. (Marshall, TX was 9018)
Once the 80's passed, the numbering system seemed to be thrown out the door.
Scott Greer
GothicPrincess
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Post by GothicPrincess »

I was at K-mart in Latrobe, PA last night. Called Big-K with the swish under it, went to the cafe (no sign stating K-cafe like old days) but they had signs for the food, nachos, Nathan's hot dogs, pizza, signs looked older than me (31)...the popcorn smell is still there when you walk in the front door. I know this K-mart has been around a long time, but unsure how long. There is also a vintage Drive-In movie there, that STILL runs movies during the week in summer time. On sundays they have flea market there. And it's right down the highway from the K-mart.

<<Edited to remove off-topic marerial.>>
TenPoundHammer
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Post by TenPoundHammer »

wnetmacman wrote:If I remember the numbering system correctly:

3xxx/4xxx stores were the original format - about 80,000 square feet, and usually had an attached grocery. (I think Garden City was 4000)
7xxx stores were mostly built in the 70's, and were around 70,000 square feet. They are the most recognizable stores, with the angled overhang near the doors. (some stores I remember - Longview TX is 7056, New Iberia, LA is 7045, I think)
9xxx stores were one of two designs: a mall store or 40,000 square feet. (Marshall, TX was 9018)
Once the 80's passed, the numbering system seemed to be thrown out the door.
Interesting.

Flint, Michigan's store on Miller Road is #4083; it did have an attached Kmart Foods (later Hamady, then A&P, then Save-a-Lot and Pet Supplies Plus, now vacant), but the Kmart portion itself is only 40-50K square feet. I don't know why Kmart never expanded into the Foods space like they usually did.

Grand Blanc, Michigan is #9186; it opened in the 1970s, and is also a 40K square foot store. I don't know HOW this one has stayed open; it's easily the smallest Kmart I've ever seen. And with a new Wal-Mart Supercenter just up the road...

Garden City, Michigan is indeed #4000.
Clumsygenes
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by Clumsygenes »

Does anyone remember the ham in the deli? It was fantastic. I remember the KMart in La Habra/ Fullerton on Imp Hwy. At the time the Gemco was still across the street, this was about 28 years ago. There was a Handy Man there I believe. KMart then moved to a bigger location a few years later, into the lot that housed our La Habra Drive -In.
dooneyt63
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by dooneyt63 »

Anyone know if Kmart has phased out all Kmart Cafes yet? Another in my area (Panama City Beach, FL) has closed. They have been going one by one, but some I have visited in the last year seem quite viable. This one was replaced with the usual schlocky display of seasonal stuff. It was virtually intact from the date of the store opening in the eighties. The equipment is still in place but behind a false wall. No food service seems like a big mistake.
catnapped
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by catnapped »

dooneyt63 wrote:Anyone know if Kmart has phased out all Kmart Cafes yet? Another in my area (Panama City Beach, FL) has closed. They have been going one by one, but some I have visited in the last year seem quite viable. This one was replaced with the usual schlocky display of seasonal stuff. It was virtually intact from the date of the store opening in the eighties. The equipment is still in place but behind a false wall. No food service seems like a big mistake.
No, they're still around, just not as prevalent as before.
Bearhawke
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by Bearhawke »

Kmart:

Note that my info is at least 4 years old here: the one in Bullhead City, Az had that funky little popcorn 'deli' (may have been Little Caesar's) @ the front and the Lake Havasu City store hah/has(?) a small eatery that served hamburgers, etc.
Bearhawke in Arizona
dooneyt63
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by dooneyt63 »

I came across an open and flourishing Kmart Cafe today in Milton, FL. There was traffic even around 2:00 P.M., and there were a number of signs touting specials in addition to the menu board items. This was great as these cafes are rapidly disappearing.
Super S
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by Super S »

Kmart has removed their restuarants from many locations. However, the Chehalis location, which, due to flooding was completely redone on the inside a couple years ago, has a Little Caesars which is still open. It was moved from the usual location in the corner to just in front of the checkstands during the remodel.
dooneyt63
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by dooneyt63 »

Today I had the pleasure of dining at an extant and well-run Kmart Cafe in Milton, FL. There were current advertising and signage pieces using the terms Kmart Cafe and Kmart Restaurant. A large stand-up sign at the entry touted tuna and chicken salad sandwiches, a wall sign touted a grilled ham and cheese sandwich combo, and another under the current menu boards informed you that you could earn or redeem Shop Your Way Rewards points for Kmart restaurant purchases. Unlike in the past, the register was a regular Kmart POS machine with a scanner.

The food was well-prepared and tasty. The menu had the burger, chicken sandwich, hot dogs, breakfast items, and a few other things...strictly short order, but the facility was clean and in good repair. All of the aforementioned signs were current and used the current logo so apparently Kmart is still giving some emphasis to their food operations even in the face of seemingly constant cafe closures. It is worth noting that this entire store was very tidy and
merchandised very well. The integration of the cafe into the regular POS system and the points program also appeared to be a good sign.

Maybe there is hope for these poor beleaguered places.
pseudo3d
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by pseudo3d »

-Mark C's Diner is the Uniontown Super K restaurant.

- There was apparently another concept that may have co-existed with Little Caesar's, called "Fast Eddie's"?

- One of TenPoundHammer's lists has a Wendy's inside of a Kmart. Fact or fiction?
Ephrata1966
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by Ephrata1966 »

Fast Eddie's? That was the name of a sports bar somewhere in MD or VA (I forget which) that was a former A&P/Super Fresh.
pseudo3d
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Re: KMart Cafeteria and Other Restaurants

Post by pseudo3d »

My bad--it's FAMOUS Eddie's.
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