End of an Era for Pathmark in Monsey; Flagship Kosher Store of the ‘80’s Effort of Irish-American Kevin O’Brien

Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on September 11, 2010 under Kosher Franchises | View Comments

Monsey, NY…by Menachem Lubinsky…There was a tinge of sadness in the voice of Kevin O’Brien, Vice President of Sales at Manischewitz, when he learned that the Pathmark on Route 59 in Airmont would close in mid-October. It will be one of 25 locations to be closed by A&P, the parent company of such brand stores as Pathmark, Waldbaum’s and Foodtown. O’Brien, the Brooklyn born Irish-American, is credited by the kosher food industry as being a pioneer in designing large supermarkets that catered to kosher consumers of all kinds, including Chasidic Jews. O’Brien was no stranger to servicing niche markets. Before coming to the Pathmark store that served the large Jewish community there, he had managed stores in the Bronx and Westchester, each with diverse ethnic populations. Kosher food industry officials credit O’Brien with being a “quick study,” so much so that he quickly recognized that he would have to go beyond the kosher set that was common in those days, namely candles, matzoth, jars of gefilte fish, grape juice and some other items that barely took up a few linear feet of shelf space. His only competition in Monsey was several small mom and pops, a far cry from the large independent kosher grocers of today like Rockland Kosher and Wesley Kosher.

Nathan Herzog of the Royal Wine Company (Kedem) recalls that O’Brien came to pick up hot off the production line grape juice. “I told him to let it cool for a day before selling.” But O’Brien quickly turned it into a merchandizing bonanza, telling customers that the store’s kosher products were so fresh that the juice was still warm. Herzog appreciated the instant up tick in business due to O’Brien’s creative and aggressive program. He would leave a thank you note each week with the cashier to be handed to O’Brien for the business. O’Brien used to kid  Herzog’s wife by pointing her to the aisle where she could “buy” the grape juice. To fill the needs of his customers, he had to find small purveyors who could supply him with Cholov Yisroel dairy products and even Belz chickens with a Badatz certification. Many purveyors recall how O’Brien literally taught them how to do business with a large chain like Pathmark. To their credit Supermarket General, the parent company of Pathmark did not stand in his way and virtually gave O’Brien carte blanche in building what became the first model kosher store within a supermarket. At one point 60% of the store’s customers were kosher consumers. He would be the only store manager in the chain whose busiest day was Thursday and the quietest Shabbos. In addition to stocking every section of the store with kosher products, including refrigerated and frozen, O’Brien made sure to have plenty of diapers on hand for the large families in the community and even flowers for Shabbos. He covered and ultimately removed magazines that were offensive to his clientele. He learned to understand that the Jewish calendar was different every year and planned accordingly for the busy Jewish holiday season, especially Passover. Word of the store’s considerable kosher offerings spread throughout the Northeast, attracting customers from all over North Jersey and even Connecticut. The corporate heads of Supermarket General referred to O’Brien as their “Irish-Jewish nephew.”

O’Brien had left the Monsey store but returned after a short hiatus. He used his considerable knowledge of kosher in senior positions in the corporate offices of Supermarket General and then with Wakefern, the parent company of ShopRite. He  is credited with moving ShopRite into a leadership position in kosher. Said Herzog: “Kevin had the foresight to recognize the opportunities in kosher and became the architect of history in the making.” So it is no wonder that even as he helps a resurging Manischewitz, there is a tear that rolls down his face at the news of the Monsey closing for a past that the kosher community will be eternally grateful to. After all, it is not only part of the history of kosher, it is his legacy.

Kosher Industry Terms Closure of 25 A&P’s, Pathmark’s and Waldbaum’s a “Blow” but not a Disaster

Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on September 8, 2010 under Kosher Franchises | View Comments

New York…The announcement by the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc. (A&P) that it was closing 25 of its stores in New York and several other states next month was greeted by leaders of the kosher food industry as a “blow” but far from a disaster. Many of the stores to be closed were  considered “kosher” stops by the industry, but officials believe that the losses from sales to these stores will be made up either by other retailers who will “fill the space” or by nearby competitors. Although A&P did not confirm the locations, Kosher Today has learned that amongst the stores to be closed is the Pathmark in Monsey, once considered one of the nation’s leading kosher stores (see our inspiring story on Kevin O’Brien). Other stores with considerable sales of kosher that are said to be on the list are the Waldbaum’s in Garden City and Levittown, the Pathmark stores in Marlboro, Fort Lee,  North Bergen, and North Brunswick, all in New Jersey. Kosher Today has been unable to confirm rumors that another major retail chain would move into the vacated space in Monsey. In fact, local real estate agents said that the space was extremely expensive and wondered whether any new store could compete with such huge kosher independent stores as Rockland Kosher that appear to have a lock on the local kosher business.

Kosher industry sources say that the big winner will be ShopRite, which happens to have stores near the majority of the A&P locations to be closed. Unlike A&P, Wakefern, the parent company of ShopRite and many of the owners of ShopRite brand stores have invested a considerable amount of resources in their kosher program.  The sources believe that many of the ShopRite stores will attract customers from the defunct stores. Some industry leaders were particularly sad about the closing of the Waldbaum’s stores, which at one time was considered the leading brand store in the Jewish community. Said one Long Island distributor: “I used to associate the face of Julia Waldbaum with Rosh Hashanah as her photo was on ads in Jewish periodicals wishing the Jewish community a happy new year. I also use to have a Waldbaum’s Jewish calendar on my wall.”

US Food Chains Ignore Americans; Sources Say

Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on May 27, 2010 under Kosher Franchises | View Comments

By Menachem Lubinsky

Tel Aviv…The closure of the Burger King franchise in Israel left many Americans living in Israel wondering if the chain did its marketing homework. Burger King joined Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Wendy’s as failed franchises in Israel. The reason given for the closure is almost always that Israelis did not take to the taste of the American foods. In the case of Burger King, the franchisee will rebrand its 52 Burger King stores as Burger Ranch, a more popular local chain. Eli and Yuval Orgad, the franchisees, have owned the Burger King stores since 2005 and bought the 55-unit Burger Ranch chain last year. Other restaurant franchises in Israel (not all of its branches kosher) include KFC, McDonald’s and Subway. Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dominos and Pizza Hut. Idele Ross, Kosher Today’s Israel Bureau Chief, reports that Omri Padan, McDonald’s-Israel CEO said the ‘revolution’ is a McDonald’s Israel strategy which will not change. The chain has 150 outlets in Israel, 30 of which are kosher. Seven new branches are expected to open by the end of 2010. One source told Kosher Today, all Burger King “needed to do was obtain a good hechsher that would appeal to the near 500,000 Israelis of American origin in addition to as many as 500,000 tourists and businessmen.” Burger Ranch is a hamburger chain started by South African immigrants to Israel in the seventies and emphasizes the Israeli preference for local fare over imported American tastes.” All the research carried out over the past few months shows beyond a doubt that the taste of Burger Ranch is the preferred taste for most Israelis,” Orgad directors Eli and Yuval Orgad were quoted as saying in the Hebrew media.