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| - Festival Foods is a Wisconsin franchise which already has a strong following in select regions of the state, including La Crosse. I was lucky enough to grab a parking spot on the street adjacent to the area leading to the front entrance, which was good because their actual parking lot is tiny in comparison to the building's physical footprint. The layout is not particularly intuitive, as rows of product seem to randomly end with unrelated products starting in a new section of the row. Clearly, a good memory will help future navigations, even if the rows are labeled by category. When I first entered, I went to the deli area, which was neatly laid out, but gave me the unsettling realization that most of the food had an almost eerie 70's glow and color scheme from a period magazine layout. I happen to believe that deli items can be tweaked to not remind you of Aunt Martha's repast after a marathon church Sunday. The meat and fish counters were a better offering, as was the salad bar. The "hot bar", was another matter, as heaping mounds of pre-cooked food (presumably in various temperature states) were pristinely displayed for the adventurous diner. Pre-made sandwiches in triangular packaging were reminiscent of my last trip to a Shell station kwik mart. In spite of this mini-rant, there is an air of convenience and efficiency with this section of the store, although the cash register stations seem to occupy a very limited area that requires you to circumnavigate the whole store's perimeter to find them. Bagged salad and other items needing refrigeration were presented in glass enclosures. When I visited the packaged coffee area, I was surprised that bulk coffees were not present. Several friendly employees confirmed that bulk coffee was not yet installed, but they would forward the suggestion. Another positive point was the plethora of items with a reduced price. Their store brand products (Essential) were the same as Metcalfe's, but had a lower sale price point. Other innovations include an alcohol bar with Wisconsin craft beers on the second floor with a seating area not unlike what you see at Whole Foods. A lonely microwave gave the area a feeling of being an employee seating area for a nondescript company that you might find on Madison's fashionably generic west side. The residents who live within walking distance will no doubt have reason to make regular visits. For now, I will chalk this up as a business which could have received a more visionary treatment than what was initially presented. Having said this, I will check back when the "dust" settles.
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