The Market at the Glen & restaurant wine prices

[whyknow]

You but a wine for $20 at a retail store. You drink the same wine in a restaurant and pay $45 to $60 for it.

Don't they know how insulting that is?

I now eat out mostly at BYOB restaurants and those that have a corkage fee along with their wine list.

There is a new and exciting store in "The Glen" in Glenview, which is the old Glenview Naval Air Station. It is between Lake and Willow, just west of Waukegan.

The Market is what Fox & Obel would like to be.

They have a great meat and fish department, a lobster tank, over 50 prepared foods and a hot line to make food to order. You can select a lobster and have it cooked and brought to your table. You can have a Wagyu Rib Eye cooked and brought to you table. They have a culinary classroom which is also used for wine classes.

But here is the best part, you can choose from around 400 wines in the store, with prices from $10 to $525, to have with your meal, AT RETAIL PRICE.

As far as I know, there is no other place in the state that gives you that selection of food and wine at retail price.

They have been open a little over a week and I have eaten there several times and am going back this evening.

This is a food and wine lovers paradise.

[Mark Sommelier]

Not to change the subject, but you do know that "retail price" is roughly 400% more than what the wine costs at the source.

[winesonoma]

Not to change the subject, but you do know that "retail price" is roughly 400% more than what the wine costs at the source.

In Northern Calif retail is double wholesale.

[Mark Sommelier]

Not to change the subject, but you do know that "retail price" is roughly 400% more than what the wine costs at the source.

In Northern Calif retail is double wholesale.

In Washington, DC, retail is wholesale X 1.5. The point I was making is that the retailer buys from the wholesaler who buys from the supplier who buys from the importer (in the case of foreign wines) who buys from the broker who buys from the winery. All of these guys mark up the wine, but it is only the restaurateur who gets kicked for marking up wine. Why is that?

[tommy]

In Washington, DC, retail is wholesale X 1.5. The point I was making is that the retailer buys from the wholesaler who buys from the supplier who buys from the importer (in the case of foreign wines) who buys from the broker who buys from the winery. All of these guys mark up the wine, but it is only the restaurateur who gets kicked for marking up wine. Why is that?

the average person can't get wine from any other source down that chain. so it's generally restaurants, and retail. and that's why people compare and kick.

[Mark Sommelier]

In Washington, DC, retail is wholesale X 1.5. The point I was making is that the retailer buys from the wholesaler who buys from the supplier who buys from the importer (in the case of foreign wines) who buys from the broker who buys from the winery. All of these guys mark up the wine, but it is only the restaurateur who gets kicked for marking up wine. Why is that?

the average person can't get wine from any other source down that chain. so it's generally restaurants, and retail. and that's why people compare and kick.

That's true, Tommy. But average joe wine drinker should understand that wine doesn't come out of thin air. There is a distribution network that makes lots 'o money on this under the auspices of our government. Why do you think Two Buck Chuck costs $3.49 on the East coast?

[tommy]

That's true, Tommy. But average joe wine drinker should understand that wine doesn't come out of thin air. There is a distribution network that makes lots 'o money on this under the auspices of our government. Why do you think Two Buck Chuck costs $3.49 on the East coast?

i think the average wine drinker *does* understand that people are making money on wine and that it doesn't magically go from grape to glass. but the issue at work here, i think, is that i can get the same product in my home town at 100 Main Street for 8 dollars, and next door at 102 Main Street for 28 dollars.

[Mark Sommelier]

That's true, Tommy. But average joe wine drinker should understand that wine doesn't come out of thin air. There is a distribution network that makes lots 'o money on this under the auspices of our government. Why do you think Two Buck Chuck costs $3.49 on the East coast?

i think the average wine drinker *does* understand that people are making money on wine and that it doesn't magically go from grape to glass. but the issue at work here, i think, is that i can get the same product in my home town at 100 Main Street for 8 dollars, and next door at 102 Main Street for 28 dollars.

Tommy,

The same is true of the steak you buy for $12 at the market and $35 at 102 Main Street.

[KatieLoeb]

That's true, Tommy. But average joe wine drinker should understand that wine doesn't come out of thin air. There is a distribution network that makes lots 'o money on this under the auspices of our government. Why do you think Two Buck Chuck costs $3.49 on the East coast?

i think the average wine drinker *does* understand that people are making money on wine and that it doesn't magically go from grape to glass. but the issue at work here, i think, is that i can get the same product in my home town at 100 Main Street for 8 dollars, and next door at 102 Main Street for 28 dollars.

Tommy,

The same is true of the steak you buy for $12 at the market and $35 at 102 Main Street.

Or the eighty cents worth of well vodka or gin that just went into your cocktail.

[tommy]

The same is true of the steak you buy for $12 at the market and $35 at 102 Main Street.

it's really not the same, mark. but this discussion has been hashed out time and time again on egullet and countless other places and always ends up the same exact way. so i'll let you continue to gouge me as i step back a bit from this discussion.

[iguana]

whyknow, thanks for the tip-- I had heard about The Glen and was intrigued. How is the cheese selection? Bread? Is the Market worth it as a destination unto itself? I bike up there sometimes, so I would be more likely to shop and ride than to stop and dine.

[Mark Sommelier]

The same is true of the steak you buy for $12 at the market and $35 at 102 Main Street. 

it's really not the same, mark. but this discussion has been hashed out time and time again on egullet and countless other places and always ends up the same exact way. so i'll let you continue to gouge me as i step back a bit from this discussion.

Tommy,

You know my famous line: "I could sell you the wine for half price if I could serve it to you in a paper cup on a bare table."

[tommy]

those table clothes and wine glasses must be expensive. i wonder how the hundreds of non-licensed restaurants in NJ manage to provide them.

[mnebergall]

Welcome to eGullet Wino.

[ronnie_suburban]

Thanks for the post whyknow. Since my office is just minutes from there, I'm especially excited about the news.

BTW, can you tell us what the name of the store is? The Glen is the name of the entire complex, if I'm not mistaken. Also, are you affiliated with said store? If so, maybe you can give us a little background on it.

Thanks,

=R=

[Schneier]

You but a wine for $20 at a retail store. You drink the same wine in a restaurant and pay $45 to $60 for it.

Don't they know how insulting that is?

I never found it insulting. A restaurant meal is always more expensive than buying it at home. Markups are how restaurants stay in business.

But thanks for the restaurant recommendation. It sounds interesting.

Bruce

[Schneier]

Not to change the subject, but you do know that "retail price" is roughly 400% more than what the wine costs at the source.

And imagine how cheap it would be to buy just the grapes.

Bruce

[yellow truffle]

I bike up there sometimes, so I would be more likely to shop and ride than to stop and dine.

Bike, did someone say bike.

[ronnie_suburban]

In spite of whyknow's failure to return here, I believe the name of this joint is The Market at The Glen.

Here is a link to a story about it in today's Chicago Tribune...

A culinary 'department store' opens its doors

A stroll through the 25,300 square-foot-store bolsters the claim. Included in the mix are prepared foods, dry-aged beef and fresh fish, gourmet grocery items and imported gelato, Euro-style baked goods; 410 different wines; tableware; 30 types of coffee beans, more than 80 varieties of tea and more than 300 varieties of imported and domestic cheeses.

=R=

[Truffle]

Why is it, then, that inexpensive wines, however good, stay at inexpensive prices, at inexpensive-however good-restaurants?

[ronnie_suburban]

I needed a few things and finally stopped in here today. Admittedly, I didn't get to look around for very long but what I saw I thought was...ok. My biggest complaint is about the deli where the safety of the familiar seemed to heavily trump the 'risk' of the exotic. Boar's Head brand is good and reliable but I often seek something a little more...dare I say it...authentic. Here, Boar's Head is the brand, both at the deli counter and at the sandwich counter. They do produce reliable roast beef and turkey breast but I was looking for some imported sopressata or some hungarian salami. The only version of either that I could find was a pre-sliced, cryovac'd rendition at nearly $16/# OTOH, there was a very nice selection of Nueske smoked meat products (chicken breasts, liver sausage, bacon), which I think are top of the line.

The Market is a big place with a large, specialty food/dry fancy food/grocery section as well as fresh meat counter (prime aged beef ~$20/#), an above average produce area (larger than conventional selection, not particularly great quality) and a spansive prepared foods center. From the prepared foods counter, I bought a ham and cheese croissant which was fair (somewhat gummy even after re-heating) and some hummus that looked pretty bad and turned out to be...well, pretty bad. Normally, I would have skipped it but one of the guys in my office loves hummus and I wanted to get his take on it. He was underwhelmed by it.

There is also a decently-sized wine section, which I didn't have time to browse. I wanted to look at their cheeses too but--for whatever reason--the entire case was covered with white paper so I wasn't able to inspect it. Other notable elements include the aforementioned sandwich counter, salad bar and large (2 story?) seating area. There is an in-house bakery but based on the loaf I bought and the croissant I described above, it's nothing special. The breads came off as faux and artisan-esque. The Market also offers a fair amount of cookware and other kitchen/dining/serving gadgetry as well.

I certainly want to go back and try it out again but I'm not overly-enthusiastic about it. Comparisons which come to mind are Foodstuffs (Glencoe, IL and other locations), which is much smaller but, at a glance, carries as many or more truly interesting products and Garden Fresh Market (Northbrook, IL) which has a better deli, carries Labriola bread products and provides a much larger selection of dry/ethnic groceries. Next time, I'll almost definitely pick up some prime, aged beef for the grill and see how it goes. Of all items I saw in the store today, that was the most tempting.

=R=

[Midwesterner]

We visited the Market yesterday and thought it was an attractive, well designed building. There is a big convenient parking lot right behind the store. My husband (the one who knows wine) said the selections included some offbeat things in the midprice range (offbeat in a good way). The cheeses were all pre-packaged. The restaurant option described in the first post of this thread exists only on Fri and Sat night, as far as I could tell. The bakery selections were extensive, with massive and relatively expensive cakes for sale whole or by the slice (over 40 dollars for some of the large cakes). We bought some prepared foods (meatloaf, crabcakes, coconut chicken, cornbread) and found them so so, inferior to similar Whole Foods products. The one feature that might tempt me back is the gelato selection, which resembled an Italian ice cream shop more than the usual American fare. Portions were generous too. My son scoffed at the "small" cup even though the counterperson warned him the medium was huge. Guess what--he could eat it. But most of us would be wise to stick with the small.

[sharksoup]

"whyknow" is the wine buyer at the retail store he plugs in the opening post of this thread.

[ronnie_suburban]

"whyknow" is the wine buyer at the retail store he plugs in the opening post of this thread.

←

It seemed pretty obvious to me from the start that the person who launched this thread was affiliated with the venture. The fact that you're 'confirming' it doesn't really change much. The thread contains enough salient information to remain here as (what will likely be) a useful reference, going forward.

I am, however, curious why 'whyknow' chose to hit and run anonymously, instead of starting a genuine conversation. Disingenuousness isn't a quality I usually find attractive in a merchant. YMMV.

BTW, I've heard the burgers are great here from 2 different people. Anyone had one?

=R=

[ronnie_suburban]

Well, that didn't take long . . . the Market at the Glen is officially closed.

I stopped by there today in search of some andouille sausage only to see the store shuttered with several notices taped to the front windows. One of the notices was an instructive missive on what (former) employees should do in case they had payroll or benefits issues. Ouch! Sounds like "the art" of deception wasn't necessarily limited to their marketing department.

Anyone know what happened, aside from the obvious?

=R=