Food Universe is almost always a solid neighborhood supermarket -- I've never been very disappointed with one, and I've
seen quite a few. The banner was created in 2014 by Staten Island, NY-based Key Food Stores Co-Operative to facilitate the integration of about 30 acquired stores during the bankruptcy of DiGiorgio Food and Associated Food Holdings, so all of the original Food Universe locations were previously Associated, Met Foods, Pioneer, or Compare Foods stores. The banner has been expanded since then.
This approximately 10,000 square foot location is in the far back corner of the Bartow Mall, which anchors the southern part of
Co-Op City (also see
here). The sprawling housing complex contains two Food Universe locations with a third in a southern extension, each in the 10,000 square foot range. On the periphery of the complex are multiple large malls, one with an Edwards-turned-Stop & Shop and one with a Pathmark-turned-Stop & Shop. The three Food Universes, along with several other supermarkets, are owned by Teofilo Guzman. This location was previously a Compare Foods, with the other two being CTown-turned-Associated locations.
All three have been recently renovated, probably at the time of conversion to Food Universe. This location has a deli/hot food counter immediately inside the entrance to the right, with produce continuing in the first aisle. Meats line the back wall, with dairy and frozen in the last aisle.
The tile floor interests me, because it looks vaguely 1970s-era (and we've seen similar examples
here and
here). It's in excellent condition here, and the darker brown wood-texture flooring is much newer. Is it possible the wood flooring was installed but the older tile was left around the perimeter? Maybe what's now wood-texture was previously white vinyl.
These stores seem to have originally been planned as cooperatively owned supermarkets, as the apartment complex is, but I would be willing to bet they were chain stores of some kind from the 1970s through the 1990s or early 2000s, when they would've become the chain stores (CTown and Compare Foods). I would put money on Waldbaum's, Gristedes, or Bohack, but I don't know for sure. Any input?
Anyway, the store is looking very good today. The Coop City/Baychester area is ethnically diverse, which this store reflects well (including Caribbean, Latin, Kosher, and Asian sections).
One slightly strange thing, if you zoom in, it looks like there is a sign frame on the wall that contains no department sign. I'm assuming the layout was changed at some point, rendering the old sign useless, but it's odd that the deli department is the only labeled department in the store.
Milk is in the back corner, with the rest of dairy continuing along the last aisle.
This aisle in particular looks fantastic. Now for a look at the somewhat cramped front-end...
I hope to return to the other two Food Universe locations someday, but for now, that wraps up our coverage of Coop City/Baychester, so come back tomorrow for our next stop in the Eastchester neighborhood of the Bronx -- all the way in the northeastern corner of the borough!
Food Universe Marketplace
2061 Bartow Ave, Baychester, Bronx, NY
Photographed March 2020
My local food emporium recently changed to food universe and i think it's a step up. The old coolers have been repaired/replaced and the range of offerings has gone a bit upscale without sacrificing price points. A neigjborhood market like this is never going to be the cheapest but convenience is worth a lot.
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