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Food City officials are celebrating the Grand re-ppening of their newly expanded/remodeled stores in Dandridge and Kodak.

The project resulted in the creation of 30 new jobs in Dandridge and 50 new jobs in Kodak.

“Our customers will find the same smiling faces, top quality products, exceptional customer service and competitive pricing they have come to expect from Food City, along with some exciting new services and conveniences,” said Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer.

In Dandridge, more than 7,000 square feet of retail space has been added, bringing the total square footage to nearly 55,000 sq. ft., including over 1,000 new items.

The food service department has been enlarged to make way for some exciting new services, including a stone hearth pizza oven and fresh rolled sushi.

The pharmacy department has more than doubled in size, including additional checkouts and a walk-up window.

Several other areas have also been enlarged, including the service meat, seafood, frozen food, and dairy departments, as well as the self-checkouts.

New coolers and cases have been installed throughout the store, along with an entirely new interior décor package.

“I would like to thank our loyal customers for their understanding and patience during the construction process,” long-time Dandridge Store Manager Steven Gadbois said. “I think our customers will agree that these exciting new services were well worth the wait.”

The Kodak project included the addition of 12,500 square feet of retail space, bringing the total square footage to more than 56,200 square feet. The expansion includes the addition of a Starbucks café, offering a wide assortment of blended hot and cold coffees and beverages. The food service department has also been enlarged to make way for some exciting new services, including an Asian Wok, gourmet pastry case, smoker, sandwich shop, fresh food bar featuring a variety of soup and salad options, self-service bread slicer, pizzeria, fresh rolled sushi, and a fire place seating area. Several other departments have been expanded as well, including the produce, floral, dairy, and service meat departments, as well as the wine selection.

Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 150 retail outlets throughout Southeast Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee, North Georgia, and North Alabama.