Wegmans in Natick Is Closing

A chain of supermarkets based in Rochester, NY, that has opened six stores in Eastern Massachusetts over the past decade is closing one of its locations in the region.

According to a post from Kiat Cormier of the ChewOnThis Facebook group page, Wegmans in Natick is shutting down later this summer, with a press release from the company quoting Brien MacKendrick (human resources director, Wegmans New England division) as saying the following:

Making these decisions is never easy. However, we do it for the long-term benefit of our people, our customers, and our communities....Unfortunately, with this non-traditional location we are unable to attract enough customers for our business model to work....We love our Natick community and customers, and we're eager to pursue new store locations in the area for the future,

The Natick location of the supermarket first opened in the Natick Mall in 2018, and it included some dining options within its space including a now-closed full-service Mexican restaurant called Blue Dalia. (Other locations of Wegmans remain open in Burlington, Chestnut Hill, Medford, Northborough, and Westwood.)

The website for Wegmans is at https://www.wegmans.com/

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

NOTE: Leslie Hurwitz, who is the father of Marc (the founder of this site) is dealing with health issues and needs your help. Please donate at https://gofund.me/76d8ba28, thanks!

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[More restaurant openings/closings from the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Godiva to Close or Sell All of Its Shops in the United States

A big name in the world of chocolate is getting out of the brick-and-mortar business in the United States, and this will apparently include several locations in the Greater Boston area.

According to a source, Godiva is planning to close or sell all of its stores in North America, with a CNN article indicating that this could be completed by the end of March. CNN does say that stores overseas will remain open while NBC Boston states that its products will continue to be available online. The closing/selling of the Godiva shops means that the outlets at the Prudential Center in Boston, the Burlington Mall, the Natick Mall, and the South Shore Shopping Center will apparently be going away, along with a Godiva Cafe at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets as well.

The website for Godiva can be found at https://www.godiva.com/

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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The Dapper Doughnut Is Opening in Natick

by Marc Hurwitz

A small chain of doughnut shops is opening its first Massachusetts location in the western suburbs of Boston this weekend.

According to a press release, The Dapper Doughnut is planning to open a kiosk on the second floor of the Natick Mall on Saturday, June 16, with the place offering cake-style mini-doughnuts that come with a variety of toppings. The release also mentions that a formal ribbon-cutting will take place on Monday. The business, which is headquartered in Las Vegas, first started out in early 2015 and currently has 32 locations across the country

The website for The Dapper Doughnut can be found at http://thedapperdoughnut.com/

[June 18 update: According to various social media posts, The Dapper Doughnut indeed opened over the weekend.]

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

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Wegmans Opens at the Natick Mall

by Marc Hurwitz

A chain of supermarkets that is based in Rochester, NY, has opened a new location in the local area, and this one has been a long time in the making.

As reported earlier, Wegmans opened today at the Natick Mall on Route 9, taking over the two-story space where JC Penney had once been. The market, which has nearly 150,000 square feet of space, also has a handful of dining options including a Mexican restaurant called Blue Dalia and a burger, sandwich, and salad spot called The Burger Bar.

The new Wegmans (which has been in the works since the summer of 2015) joins other Massachusetts locations in Burlington, Chestnut Hill, Medford, Northborough, and Westwood.

The website for Wegmans can be found at https://www.wegmans.com/

[Earlier Article]
Wegmans to Open at the Natick Mall

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Wegmans Plans to Come at the Natick Mall

A chain of supermarkets that until a few years ago had no presence in the local area is planning to open its fifth location in the state, with this one being in the western suburbs of Boston.

The Boston Herald is reporting that Wegmans is planning to open in the Natick Mall on Route 9, taking over the space where JC Penney currently resides. The article says that the 125,000-square-foot store will have two floors of space and it will also lease a third floor as well, with the shop subleasing about 70,000 more square feet of space to "complementary tenants." If all goes as planned (including the approval of necessary permits), the new Wegmans could be open in the spring of 2017.

Currently, three locations of Wegmans (which is based in Rochester, NY) can be found in Massachusetts, including shops in Burlington, Chestnut Hill, and Northborough. A fourth location opens in Westwood in October of this year. [Ed note: Now open.]

[August 5 update: The Natick location of Wegmans will actually be either the fourth or the fifth location to open in the Greater Boston area (and the fifth or sixth in the state), as yet another possible location--in the Fenway--has no specific date at this point in time, though earlier reports had it possibly opening in 2016.]

[August 17, 2017 update: According to a Twitter post from @DGoodison, the long-awaited Wegmans in Natick will open in 2018, and it will likely be the sixth in the state, as a Medford location opens this fall. (Also, it looks like the Fenway location might not happen after all.).]

[January 17, 2018 update: The Boston Globe mentions that the Natick location of Wegmans now has an opening date--April 29.]

The website for Wegmans can be found at http://www.wegmans.com/

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Belkin Family Lookout Farm in Natick Plans to Add Hard Cider Taproom

An historic farm in South Natick is making plans to sell hard cider, and it has just been given approval to let customers taste samples of it on the premises.

According to an article in Wicked Local Natick, town selectmen have voted in favor of a pouring permit that would allow patrons at Belkin Family Lookout Farm to try the cider in a taproom area that the business plans to produce and sell. The post says that the Pleasant Street farm is not looking to set up a restaurant, though they would like to offer some food at some point in addition to cider tastings if they are approved of a common victualler's license. Selectmen do say that while the pouring permit is being allowed under current regulations, those regulations could be changed down the road once everything is in place.

[June 2 update: UrbanDaddy states that the pouring area--which will be called The Lookout Taproom--is opening this Friday (June 5), and charcuterie boards, flatbreads, and gelato will all be offered as well.]

The Belkin website says that the farm dates all the way back to 1651.

The address for Belkin Family Lookout Farm is 89 Pleasant St, Natick, MA 01760; its website can be found at http://www.lookoutfarm.com/

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