ASHBURN, Va. — When Loudoun County鈥檚 first Whole Foods Market opens on July 29, customers will be able to purchase more than groceries 鈥� they鈥檒l be able to grab a gin cocktail.
The 45,000 square-foot store, located in Ashburn鈥檚 Belmont Chase shopping center, is the first in the D.C. area to have a pub that serves spirits, along with beer and wine.
A Sazerac featuring rye from local distillery Catoctin Creek and absinthe from Middleburg鈥檚 Mt. Defiance is on the pub鈥檚 menu of signature cocktails, as is a mango cardamom punch bowl to share with friends.
Dana Stanley, regional coffee coordinator for Whole Foods Market, says the pub is meant to serve as a gathering place for the community. There will be trivia night on Tuesdays, a weekday happy hour, live music on the pub鈥檚 patio and board games available for public use.
鈥淲e wanted to tie into the community and connect there, so that the customers in the area will feel like this is their neighborhood bar and a place that they can come and really feel at home and feel like they鈥檙e getting something special,鈥� Stanley says.
In addition to Catoctin Creek and Mt. Defiance, the bar will feature rye and gin from Copper Fox Distillery out of Sperryville, Virginia, and beer from Ashburn鈥檚 Lost Rhino Brewing Company.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about honoring and celebrating the suppliers you can find right here,鈥� says Katie Malloy, regional public relations manager for Whole Foods Market. 鈥淗aving a bar like this is really an opportunity to do that and really play around with it.鈥�
In-house barrel-aged cocktails will also be available, as will a special raspberry-basil collaboration beer, made by Old Ox Brewery and Whole Foods Market Ashburn鈥檚 beer specialists.
鈥淲e want you to forget that you鈥檙e in a grocery store,鈥� says Amy Gomez, regional specialty coordinator for Whole Foods Market.
The grocery store vibe might seem like a hard concept to shake, but the bar鈥檚 etched vintage cocktail coupes and comfy leather reading chairs will sure help. So will a food menu that has everything from more refined plates (house-cured charcuterie boards and toast 鈥渇lights鈥�), to traditional pub fare (tater tots loaded with bacon and cheese and house-made guacamole and chips).
Of course, customers can also bring anything from the store鈥檚 prepared-foods section into the pub, including the fried-to-order doughnuts, special to the Ashburn store.
On the second floor of the pub/caf茅 area, a new food concept will be showcased nightly. An oyster-shucking station or a cart serving specialty sandwiches are a few examples of what the store has planned.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be the place to go; everybody鈥檚 going to want to be here, and that鈥檚 our goal,鈥� says Jillian Phifer, the marketing team lead for Whole Foods Market Ashburn.
Whole Foods Ashburn opens on July 29 at 9 a.m. The pub will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
