EZgo at 3701 S. Claiborne Ave.
EZgo Markets in Broadmoor, the city’s first locally-owned, completely touchless grocery store, held its grand opening on Tuesday (Dec. 15).
EZgo Markets on the South Claiborne corridor at Delachaise Street offers more than 2,000 items, according to a press release. Customers order online, and the items are delivered to their homes or picked up at the store.
(courtesy of EZgo Markets)
Items on the EZgo site include a limited selection of fresh produce, meat and seafood, and a wider array of other grocery items such as dairy products, snacks, frozen food and pet food.
The company has requested a conditional use that would allow the sale of packaged alcohol, according to city records. A hearing on the request is scheduled for Jan. 12 with the City Planning Commission.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday attracted business and city leaders celebrating a new small business providing a service that’s especially relevant in the coronavirus era. Among those at the ceremony were Mayor LaToya Cantrell, State House District 91 Rep. Mandie Landry, Kelisha Garrett with the Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation, two City Council members, and the pastor from a local church.
The owners, Wang Sheng LLC, renovated the 5,000-square-foot retail complex at 3701 S. Claiborne, recently occupied by the Triangle Deli and a Fix-A-Fone.
“I’m very happy to see this building come back into commerce,” said District B Councilman Jay Banks at the opening ceremony. “It has been vacant for a minute, and to put a blighted property back into commerce, that is going to be an enhancement all the way around.”
(courtesy of EZgo Markets)
COVID-19 has accelerated the grocery industry’s move to digitally enabled convenience, and EZgo officials note that the store offers the next step in these advancements.
As the business grows, EZgo Markets expects to employ 20 to 30 part-time and full-time employees in positions such as stockers, shopping specialists and delivery drivers.
“As our culture and community rapidly transforms, our way of life adapts to embrace new ideas and ventures. EZgo Markets reflects the kind of innovation that will serve the needs of an ever-changing community,” said the Rev. Moses S. Gordon III of the neighboring Greater Pleasant Green Baptist Church & First African Baptist Church, 6th District, speaking at the ceremony.
The EZgo Markets’ daily COVID business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
