Busch's J.B.’s Smokehouse Part Of Growing Trend

CANTON TOWNSHIP, MI — If sitting down for dinner at a local grocery store before picking up a few household staples and heading home sounds a little odd, it shouldn’t. It’s actually a growing trend, thanks in part to millennials and a perpetually time-crunched working class America.

One of Canton’s newest groceries is responding to that trend. Busch’s opened in March at the corner of Canton Center and Cherry Hill roads with the usual assortment of supermarket goods, but also a handsome collection of craft beers, wines, meats and convenience foods. And J.B.’s Smokehouse.

As the name suggests, the restaurant serves barbecue, traditional favorites like ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket. It also offers Southern-inspired sides like rice ’n’ beans, ham hock and bacon collard greens. According to the National Grocers Association, Busch’s is at the cutting edge of a national trend.

“A lot of what is driving these changes in the industry is convenience,” Laura Strange, a spokeswoman for the association, told the Detroit News in a recent report. “We have found that consumers are time-starved, so whenever they can go in a grocery store to shop and also pick up something prepared for dinner that night, that’s a huge convenience.”

It’s Michigan-based Busch’s first restaurant. The company, founded by Joe Busch in the mid 1970s, also features a Starbucks, a gelato stand, fresh juice bar, a cheese cave, a dry aging meat cabinet and an expanded selection of prepared foods, including Indian and Middle Eastern fare, a nod to the neighborhoods surrounding the store, the Detroit News reported.

“We wanted to build a store that takes us into the future, and not just another Busch’s,” Marla Booth, a spokeswoman for the chain, told the newspaper. “We wanted to take a different approach and open a restaurant. We’re super pleased. There’s been great feedback.”

Busch’s is not the first grocer to introduce the concept in the area. Cantoro Italian Marketand Trattoria in Livonia opened a few years ago and also offers a full-service restaurant. Complete lunch and dinner menus offer traditional Italian favorites. Custom dishes, such as Risotto Porcini E Salsiccia — a Porcini Risotto with House Made Italian Sausage, Parmigiano and Butter — are also featured.

In East Lansing, Whole Foods includes the Green State Bar and Grill, with a rotating selection of Michigan craft and hard-to-find beers and a menu offering burgers, sandwiches and breakfast, the Detroit News reported. As for J.B.’s Smokehouse back in Canton, you’ll have no trouble picking it out from the rest of the store.

It’s set apart from the grocery with its rustic, urban decor that inclues charred, stained-wood paneling, Michigan-made wood tables and metal chairs, the newspaper reported. There are entrances from the store and the outdoors, which also features patio that can seat another 80-90 patrons.

Executive Chef Todd Buchanan, a Michigan native whose southern roots have helped accent J.B.’s fare, said some customers were skeptical of the restaurant but have been won over by the housemade sauces and freshly prepared meals.

With increasing competition on all fronts, especially from giant retailer’s like Amazon and Wal-Mart, traditional grocery stores have to evolve or face extinction.

“You’re seeing a cannibalization of the industry, thanks to all of these other ways to buy groceries,” Dave Cheatham, president of Velocity Retail Group and an expert on specialty retailers and grocers, told the Detroit News. “All retail is changing. Everyone is looking for value. Grocery stores will continue to evolve.”

Photo courtesy of Canton Township