This story first ran in the Post’s Sept. 6 print edition.
BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ
Daily Post Staff Writer
East Palo Alto’s highly anticipated Korean grocery store, Mega Mart, will be opening on Sept. 25, according to Vice Mayor Mark Dinan.
Dinan attended a Sept. 4 meeting with Bumsuck Ha, CEO of Mega Mart, regarding their application to sell alcohol.
Representatives for Mega Mart at 1775 East Bayshore Road submitted an application to the city to sell alcoholic beverages, which was approved by the Planning Commission on Monday.
Since it plans to sell alcohol, it will have at a minimum one security guard, according to the application.
Mega Mart will have a bakery, coffee bar, and hot food deli, along with a dining area for customers to enjoy their meals, according to the application. There will also be a section in the store dedicated to Korean beauty products.
“I’m excited to see Mega Mart open in East Palo Alto and bring another option to EPA for high-quality groceries,” Dinan said.
Dinan said he is excited not to have to make trips to Sunnyvale to buy lemongrass, since it will be available at Mega Mart.
Mega Mart will open where Target once was, but vacated in Sept. 2024.
When Target closed its doors in September, it left residents with one less grocery store and pharmacy.
Residents are now left with one pharmacy, Drew Center Pharmacy on University Avenue.
Dinan said he’s excited for residents to have an option to grocery shop nearby.
Pogu Picnic, the restaurant in the store, will offer bento boxes that can be customized and made by Michelin-starred Chef Tony Yoo, according to the store’s Instagram.
Mega Mart is collaborating with WeWork in San Mateo to sell the Korean meal boxes and get the word out about the store.
There will be 100 employees working on a daily basis, the application states. The grocery store will be open every day from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the application.
Planning Commissioner Chris Kao also attended the meeting and said 150 employees have already been hired, according to Ha.
Ha did not respond to the Post for comment.