Cover Story Dash’s Market Tailored Today Dash’s Market’s product line is carefully curated to meet customer needs.

By Katie Martin

pening up shop in western needs and be a one-stop shop, but New York, right in the not enough to take up large amounts home court of of space. Instead, most of the stores’ OFood Markets — a chain footprints are dedicated to food. many consider to be the industry’s “We don’t have space to have all standard bearer — is no easy task, that stuf,” Dash explains. “You have but Joe Dash and his team are up to to pick your poison, and our poison the challenge. Dash’s Market, with is, we want to sell food. I’m a foodie.” four locations in the Bufalo area, Te Dash family has been in goes directly after the Wegmans- the food business since 1923, when type shopper while touting the Dash’s grandparents opened a small diferences: smaller stores, store in Bufalo, followed a carefully curated product “There is no by his father’s market. In line, fresh prepared foods magic. If you get 1962, Joe’s father, Frank, and top-notch service. someone in the became a Tops Markets With stores that are franchisee, eventually about 30,000 square door, take care opening three stores in feet, Dash’s Market isn’t of them; that’s the Bufalo area. Around looking to compete with how you get them 2001, Frank sold one large-format chains and store to a competing Tops superstores. “We’re a lot back.” franchisee and two loca- of Dash envisioned, of things to a lot of people, —Joe Dash, owner/CEO tions to Joe, who in turn with an emphasis on perishables. A but we’re not everything purchased a third store for traditional may feature to everybody,” says Joe a new concept he had in 60 percent nonperishables and 40 per- Dash, owner and CEO. “Trying to mind: Dash’s Market. cent perishables, Dash notes, but he do everything is too much. We do a wanted to fip the product mix ratios. great job with what we do.” New Concept Given the competitive landscape of Te stores carry limited selections Tat third location, in East Amherst, the Bufalo area, Dash knew that center of housewares and health and beauty N.Y., was stripped down to the walls, store would be a tough sell, but he felt products — just enough to have foor and ceiling to create what would that he could compete with the higher- them available to meet customers’ become the prototype for the kind grossing perishables departments.

8 | Progressive Grocer Independent | June 2016 DASH’S AT THE TOP “I had an idea of creating that resulting concept uses some tech- John Mills, East Amherst store manager; neighborhood environment under one niques and methods that the family Mark Mahoney, VP/GM; Joe Dash Sr., roof, with a butcher shop, seafood, had used in its previous stores, as owner and CEO; and Joe Dash Jr., director a bakery,” Dash says. “I wanted all well as other best practices that the of e-commerce. these little mini markets under one team saw in cities around the United roof. And I wanted to be a quality States that Dash embellished or a technique that the Dash team purveyor and have a unique variety.” adapted to work in its own stores. frst saw in a Chicago Whole Foods To create the ultimate market, “When we saw something we Market. Others in the industry said Dash and his team, including Mark liked, we asked, ‘How do we improve the stacking method, while attrac- Mahoney, VP/GM, traveled around it?’” Mahoney says. For example, tive, would never last, as it was too the country for inspiration. Te the artistically stacked produce was labor-intensive. Fourteen years later,

June 2016 | Defining the Independent Market | 9 Cover Story Dash’s Market however, the produce continues to be stacked every day the way the team frst envisioned. “It’s kind of like a puzzle,” Dash says of the store concept. “All the pieces, when you put them together, [form] a concept that I know will work in a lot of places, but not everywhere. Tese stores don’t work everywhere.” Te stores are located in healthy neighborhoods with a lot of rooftops and pull in a more sophisticated consumer with a higher-than-av- erage income. “We’re a neighbor- hood market,” Dash notes. “I don’t consider ourselves a ; we’re defnitely not a supercenter or a convenience store. We’re a neighborhood market that has a lot of unique things, that really thrives on taking care of the neighborhood.”

Focus on Protein In establishing Dash’s A SLICE ABOVE Market, Dash frst focused Dash’s Market’s unique slicer creates a on center plate — pro- distinctive deli meat display that causes teins — with the idea that customers to stop in their tracks. if the team was success- ful with that, they could “We’re a lot of of store sales, and is the “But that’s the way I want to take get customers to buy what things to a lot of second-fastest growing the company,” Dash asserts. “I want they needed to fll up the department in the stores. the best quality, so we went to this rest of the plate. “When people, but we’re For seafood, Dash’s shrimp. We’ve had to educate our we started, it was, let’s get not everything to uses a Boston-to-Bufalo customers on the attributes and value them hooked on the meat everybody. Trying run in which the fsh is of what we’re doing. We’ve really department, and maybe we caught one day and in the been able to grow it faster than I can sell them the potatoes. to do everything stores’ showcases the next, thought we would.” Ten, maybe we can sell is too much. We while other variet- them the dessert, the bread. do a great job ies, like ahi tuna, And maybe then, we can are fown in fresh sell them the spices. But with what we do.” from Hawaii. Te let’s work on center plate —Joe Dash, owner/CEO stores also have [frst],” Dash explains. colossal crab legs Te frst step was build- on display and ing a reputation for the meat depart- 16-ounce lobster tails — ment. Te stores feature butchers product that many supermar- cutting meat to order every day until kets are moving away from, 6:00 in the evening, including unique Dash says. Te company cuts like the tomahawk. Te wide additionally made the deci- selection includes USDA Choice sion to source only sustain- and Prime beef, veal, lamb, dry-aged ably caught shrimp, which NO SHIRKING ON SHRIMP prime beef, and house-made sau- costs signifcantly more than Dash’s Market sources only sustainably caught sages. Meat accounts for 20 percent traditional shrimp. shrimp, even though the cost is significantly higher.

10 | Progressive Grocer Independent | June 2016 Cover Story Dash’s Market

Importance of Perishables Once the departments that provided the protein for customers’ center of the plate were up and running, Dash and his team turned to establishing the other perishables departments. Te cheese department, for instance, has an extensive display. “We’re not afraid to pile it out there, because we have confdence that we’re carrying the right items at a great value, and we’re going to sell it,” Mahoney says. Te deli department features prosciutto from Italy and nearly every local brand of cold cuts. Te department draws a lot of attention for its unique product display. Dash’s uses a high-tech slicer that calculates weight, slice increment and number of slices. Te machine is set to shingle the slices as they come out of the slicer onto a conveyor belt. Te shingled slices are then stacked perpen- CARVING STATION dicularly in the deli case. Deli meats The carving station in the prepared food department has become popular by offering account for 70 percent of the depart- freshly sliced prime rib, turkey and other cooked-on-site meats. ment’s sales. “If you look, [the deli] is where all introduced a farm-to-fork program possible. One such partnership is with the customers congregate,” Mahoney in which Dash’s has partnered with an Amish farmer, and the produce points out. several local farms to bring in as much manager drives about an hour to the In produce, the company has conventional and organic produce as farm twice a week to buy organic produce. He buys it one day, and it’s on sale to customers the next. Organic produce is cross-merchandised with conventional items in the department, but also displayed in a dedicated or- ganic section for those customers who want only organic products. “Organics has become a big part of our business, and we see it growing,” Mahoney says. “We have a plan that when needed, we’ll expand the whole footprint of our produce department in our stores.” In the rest of the departments, organics are popular as well, so in his plans to remodel the location on Her- tel Avenue, in Bufalo, Dash is going to add a specifc organic/ natural sec- NEOPOLITAN-STYLE ARTISAN PIZZAS tion next to produce, to make it even Customers flock to the thin-crust pizza with varieties like The Antique, which more convenient for organics-minded features garlic oil, marinated artichokes, ricotta, crisp pancetta and tomato. shoppers to fnd what they need.

12 | Progressive Grocer Independent | June 2016 menu includes signature sandwiches featuring house-made artisan bread, Neopolitan-style pizzas with crusts made from semolina four imported from Italy, fresh salads, entrées, and a carving station with daily fresh- roasted proteins like prime rib and turkey. “From day one, Joe’s philosophy, which I adopted, was to do the highest-quality food at a great value,” says Sean Van Volkenburg, Dash’s executive chef. “We’re cooking from scratch every day, and just trying to give customers restaurant quality at a great value.” To help maintain quality, Van Volkenburg and his staf of 40 try to use the same ingredients in multiple products to maintain freshness and integrity. Freshness also is helped by ARTISTIC DISPLAYS the almost daily deliveries — meat is The produce department takes full advantage of the products’ inherent colorfulness ordered by the meat department, and (top), and pastries are beautifully arranged in the Spot, the stores’ coffee/pastry shop. fruit and vegetables by the produce department. Tat way, rather than Extensive Prepared Foods Café concept focuses on the types deliveries two or three times a week, Tree of the four Dash’s Markets of food the majority of customers as at many foodservice establish- feature an extensive prepared foods want, Dash notes, which are mostly ments, Marketside Café gets fresh department; the North Amherst made to order. “I’m not big into a product daily of the supermarket store was expanded in 2005 to bufet-style hot-meal program,” he delivery trucks. increase the square footage dedi- adds. “Once it’s made and you keep it cated to the department. Te new heated, the quality breaks down.” Popular Menu Items design became the prototype for the Te department ofers breakfast, Van Volkenburg and his team have other two locations. Te Marketside lunch and dinner, and the extensive successfully tapped into products

June 2016 | Defining the Independent Market | 13 Cover Story Dash’s Market that keep bringing customers back, sometimes every day. When stufed hot peppers were frst introduced, demand was for about two cases per week, but now the department goes through about fve cases a day. Te Tanksgiving Leftovers sandwich, another customer favorite, features fresh-roasted turkey, house-made stufng, cranberry sauce and gravy piled atop thickly sliced scratch- made white bread. Dash’s is also known for its slow- roasted chicken, which features a third leg. “We call it a three-legged chicken,” Dash says. Te 3.5-pound chicken (plus a leg) is a departure from what many other stores are selling, which is a 2-pound chicken, Van Volkenburg notes. “You can feed a family of four, and your center of plate is only $7.50,” he adds. Breakfast sandwiches are sold on Dash’s signature English mufns, which are mischeviously known in the store as “Dash’s Crack.” “Once you eat them, you can’t stop,” Ma- honey quips. “Te café has been huge, huge for the store as a whole,” Dash says. “It brings in a customer that maybe wouldn’t normally shop with us. Tey come here and have breakfast, lunch or dinner with us, and then they’ll start being converted into a Dash’s customer and shop the whole grocery experience.” DASH’S DELIVERS When the prepared food depart- The company introduced an online shopping component one year ago, ment was frst introduced, it did about and sales have grown so much that $5,000 in sales a week; this year, it management is consisdering expanding will pull in more than $2 million at the delivery area to act as a “fifth store.” the East Amherst location alone, with about $5 million to $6 million to enable customers to complete company-wide. Accounting for 10 their shop in 20 minutes and leave percent of sales, it is the fastest-grow- with a full basket, although many ing department in the company. return three to four times a week to shop the fresh departments. Tis The Dash’s Experience commitment to a quick shop was Te Dash’s experience is one that the conveyed by one of the company’s Dash frst purchased the stores from company is deeply committed to, and early taglines: Get in, get out and get his parents, the company had 70 much of it comes from the stores’ on with life. employees in two locations; now, smaller size and tailored product Te company also prides itself on with four locations, the stores boast a assortment. Te stores are designed its staf-to-customer ratio. When total of 650 employees. “We can give

14 | Progressive Grocer Independent | June 2016 Cover Story Dash’s Market personalized attention,” “Brick and order that goes out is like to be on the cutting edge or be dif- Dash says. “I think our mortar has picking up four custom- ferent or have a diferent approach. people set us apart. Tey’re ers,” Dash observes. You can’t be a slouch, you can’t get great at welcoming our become so Currently, Dash’s away with shortcuts.” guests into our house. Tey expensive, online Delivers, as the company’s With the stores’ location in a re- have strong people skills can be our fifth e-commerce component gion that has just achieved a stagnant and make our customers, is known, services the population after years of decline, our guests, feel at home.” store.” 89.5-mile area around survival requires an unconventional For customers who —Mark Mahoney, VP/GM the stores. Te East approach, and growth requires inno- can’t make it to the stores, Amherst store acts as the vation to keep attracting customers. Dash’s Market introduced online central picking store, and all orders Dash’s Market is achieving that with ordering last year. Marketed almost are shipped out from there because growth greater than infation since strictly through social media, the it carries the most SKUs of all of 2002. “We’re very successful, but it’s service is quickly gaining momen- the locations and houses the com- taken us 14 years to get there,” Dash tum, and the company has signed missaries for bakery and meat. Te points out. on to be the grocery delivery service company is considering expanding Much of this growth is due to for the University of Bufalo. Te the delivery zone to additional ZIP word of mouth and customers raving pickers and delivery drivers are all codes. Dash sees the service allow- to other consumers. Dash strives to Dash’s employees to help ensure the ing the company to grow in markets get shoppers to come in just to buy a highest-quality items are selected that may not be ideal for a brick-and- quart of milk and a loaf of bread. He and delivered by personnel who mortar store. believes that by treating them well, embody the grocer’s high-service “Brick and mortar has become within a year, those consumers will mentality. Customers include so expensive, online can be our ffth be doing the majority of their shop- everyone from busy professionals to store,” Mahoney adds. ping at Dash’s Market. mothers of young children to people “Tere is no magic,” Dash says. with mobility problems. Continual Growth “If you get someone in the door, Some of the frst online customers e-Commerce is the future, Dash take care of them; that’s how you get were people from out of state who notes. “Te old way doesn’t work,” he them back. If you don’t take care of were ordering groceries for their Buf- explains. “If you run a conventional them, they don’t come back, because falo-area parents. Mahoney relates store today, you’re a target. You have they have too many choices.” PGI the story of one woman who lives in Florida and talks to her mother every Sunday to place her parents’ grocery order for the week. Partnering With Local Vendors Online Growth Dash’s Markets, with four One of the most surprising aspects stores in the Buffalo, N.Y., of the online orders is that they’re a area, has placed significant fip from the fresh-focused in-store importance on partnering baskets to center store-focused orders. with other local vendors since its doors opened in “Home delivery for perishables is a 2002, even before “local” be- tricky sell because people want their came the consumer trend it is today. steak like this, they want their pro- “We’re probably the largest supporter of local foods in western New duce like that,” Dash says. “Not that York,” says Joe Dash, owner and CEO. These companies are part of the we aren’t selling those things, because fabric of the region, he notes. we are, but our grocery or center store About six times a year, the stores run a special wrap around the business is really taking of.” weekly ad that features all of the local suppliers in the store, from Te online orders also are about Mayer Bros. apple juice to Perry’s ice cream to Jake’s All Natural Rubs. four times larger than the average On the store shelves, tags delineate which products are manufactured in-store basket ring. Customers are or sourced locally. stocking up when they place online “We’ve always carried the products, but five years ago we said, ‘Let’s orders, unlike how they shop in the start featuring them all together in one of our fliers.’ That’s been a home brick-and-mortar stores. “Every run for us,” says Mark Mahoney, VP/GM.

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