Kroger starting new restaurant concept

Kitchen 1883 — an apparent reference to the year Barney Kroger founded the food retailer — will open in Union, Ky., near a Kroger Marketplace store.

The retailer, which has been advertising for positions for several weeks, held a hiring event Thursday in Florence, Ky., local reports said.

Kroger officials have spoken about expanding its reach so as to capture all the food its customers eat. The so-called “share of stomach” strategy would double the growth opportunity vs. playing against supermarket retailers alone.

“We know that the massive $1.5 trillion U.S. food market creates a unique and sustainable growth opportunity for Kroger,” CEO Rodney McMullen said Friday.

Other supermarket chains including Hy-Vee are also looking toward restaurants as a means to grow, noting that consumer spending on food consumed away from home has now surpassed what is spend on food at home.