Family business only getting bigger

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/09/2013 (4644 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg family is about to throw a party to celebrate the opening of the latest in its ever-growing lineup of family-run grocery stores.

The grand opening of the new Food Fare location, which began serving customers at 839 Cavalier Dr. earlier this year, is taking place from Sept. 6 to 15.

At the helm of the Food Fare empire is Munther Zeid and his family, who now own and manage five Food Fare stores, located at 2285 Portage Ave., 905 Portage Ave., 247 Lilac St., 115 Maryland St., and 839 Cavalier Dr.

The Cavalier Drive location was formerly a Sobey’s. When it closed on May 1, Zeid and his family took over a week later.

“We’ve given it a bit of a different look. We’re still in the process of changing it. It’s not 100% yet,” Zeid said.

Between Sept. 6 and 15, Zeid plans to throw a couple of community barbecues, offer “super hot pricing” to his customers, and give away door prizes. Zeid has not yet provided official dates for those events.

“We’re hoping to show them what Food Fare’s all about,” Zeid said.

Zeid said in the 1980s, a group of people created Food Fare because they wanted to have more control over their stores and to be different from the competition.

“We decide how much we want to sell (our products) for. We have control over our destiny,” Zeid said.

As the years passed by, many of the original people who helped start Food Fare retired or were bought out by larger corporations, leaving Zeid’s family running the business themselves.

“It’s family-owned,” Zeid said of all the Food Fares in Winnipeg. “We do have managers that work for us that are not immediate family, but they are family. Anybody that comes to work and takes care of your business and really puts their heart and soul into it is family.”

For Zeid, Food Fare is a family- and community-oriented business. Each location hires people from its surrounding community. Zeid grew up in the St. James area, so after working at the Food Fare on Lilac St., he switched to the 2285 Portage Ave. location, which has been around for 13 years.

One of many things Zeid is proud of in his company is the meat department, especially the fact that the stores have custom cutters on hand to prepare meat according to the consumer’s specific needs.

“People come in and say, ‘I want a one-inch, two-inch, or half-inch steak’, and we’ll cut it for you,” Zeid said.

For more information about Food Fare’s grand opening, email muntherz@shaw.ca or call 204-885-2381.