Palmer Food Services, started by Levi Palmer as Palmer Fish Co. in 1849 in Rochester, has embarked on a new chapter following a major remodel of its retail arm, Palmer’s Direct To You Market at 900 Jefferson Road, Henrietta.
The space where a gut renovation unfolded between January and April is now 40% larger, with a more open entryway; new fixtures, meat cases and signage; new café seating; and a pared-down kitchen menu focusing on customer favorites.
“One of the nice things about this project is we got to go through the archives,” said Joe Schaeffer, the company’s director of marketing. “And when you’re a 175-year-old company, you’ve got some substantial archives.”
Among the finds was a newspaper clipping quoting Levi’s great-grandson, Dwight “Bud” Palmer, as saying of the family business, “Good will is our greatest asset.”
They’re the words on a new sign that greets shoppers when they enter.
What’s new at Palmer’s Direct To You Market?
Palmer Food Services is now led by fifth-generation CEO and owner Dwight “Kip” Palmer.
Palmer’s Direct To You Market launched in 2009.
“When the market opened, it had an identity,” Schaeffer said, that included as a casual eat-in dining destination. “Moving through COVID, that identity changed, like everything changed. And this is a good opportunity for us to put our best foot forward.”
Originally, a large dining area filled the store’s center, now filled with grocery aisles and displays. The seating was removed in 2020 because it didn’t meet COVID distancing regulations.
The grocery setup brought something new to the mix that customers like, but at their urging, seating was restored with the remodel. Café tables for two (decorated with images of old newspaper stories about Palmer’s) are to the right of the entryway. High-top tables and chairs are just inside the door next to the kitchen.
What sort of meat does Palmer’s sell?
The meat room, where proteins are cut into portions, is almost twice the size it was previously, Schaeffer said. “A ton more space and a ton more production.”
A glass-windowed showcase called the Levi Palmer Dry Age Room is where beef is dry-aged for 30 days.
“If you go to New York City or Chicago, you’re going to get a longer dry-age that tastes more like blue cheese than some would care to admit. Ours is a little milder,” he said.
New meat cases provide room for a massive selection of certified Angus beef cuts.
Palmer’s is one of the largest sellers of certified Angus beef in the country “and definitely the largest in our area. It’s what we kind of hang our hat on,” Schaeffer said.
The new cases also have room for ready-to-cook items including pre-marinated pork medallions, bacon-wrapped sirloin and garlic-crusted pub roast. “Things that we only used to have around Christmastime, we can offer all year.”
Also in inventory are pork, lamb, chicken and venison, and for more adventurous palates, elk, wild boar and kangaroo meat.
“For high-protein folks and the health-conscious, it’s very very lean,” Schaeffer said.
What sorts of fish does Palmer’s sell?
“Legally, we’re still Palmer Fish Company,” he said. “That’s what’s on my paycheck. So, offering fresh fish and seafood is pretty close to home for Kip and a lot of folks here.”
A mix of farm-raised and wild-caught, it arrives five days a week, mostly from Boston.
There’s shrimp, scallops, salmon, tuna and swordfish in cases, as well as packages of Palmer’s house-made Clams Casino.
“It’s a great recipe with applewood bacon and cherrystone clams,” Schaeffer said. “It’s really good.”
A new ice table holds oysters, clams and whole fish, “all as fresh as you can get,” he said. A new lobster tank was empty the day we visited.
Palmer’s also sells frozen seafood and heat-and-eat entrées (for around $10), a big growth category for the business, along with catering.
The Dinosaur Bar-B-Que connection
The market carries a range of local and regional food products, too, including bottled sauces by Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Tony D’s and Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria.
But the relationships go deeper. All three businesses are Palmer’s clients, and Dinosaur restaurants get all their beef, including brisket, from Palmer’s.
Customers also will find locally made bread and rolls, coffee by Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters and milk – whole, reduced fat and chocolate – from Pittsford Farms Dairy, a new addition.
Batters, coatings, spices and pantry staples, individual desserts and a small selection of produce items round out the stock and enable the store to be a more “all-in-one” retailer, Schaeffer said.
The Kitchen
Open Tuesday through Saturday, Palmer’s Kitchen menu features sharable plates, such as shrimp cocktail ($4.99) and mac and cheese ($4.99 and $6.99); salads ($9.99 to $16.99); quesadillas ($10.99 and $13.99); and specialty sandwiches, including a fried haddock sandwich ($14.99) and a crispy chicken wrap ($13.99).
Who shops at Palmer’s?
Asked to describe the typical Palmer’s Direct To You Market shopper, Schaeffer said they tend to fall into three categories:
The holiday shopper: “At Christmastime, this place is amazing. It’s fantastic.” People come in to buy ingredients for a special holiday meal. “That’s probably the No. 1 type of customer.”
The quality shopper: “Those are your ‘I’m going to smoke my own brisket, and I want it to be very good. I want the same brisket I’m getting at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que,’ for example. That high-quality DIY barbecue customer – that’s a close second.”
The health-conscious shopper: “We see them quite a bit as well.” They’re the ones who might be interested in the exotic, super-lean meats, he said.
Price may not be their first consideration. The market carries everything from 1-pound packages of certified Angus ground beef for $6.99 to Wagyu beef for $99.99 a pound.
However, “We’re super-conscious of the cost everywhere,” Schaeffer said. “And it’s not to say that we’re cheap or we’re ever going to be the cheapest. But we want to make sure that from a value perspective, you’re getting the most you can.”
(This story was updated to correct an inaccuracy.)
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers the grocery business and consumer-focused grocery news, as well as retail development, openings and closings. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on X @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Palmer’s Direct To You Market completes major remodel
Reporting by Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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