12 Aug Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Whole Foods Market 365 Santa Monica

Whole Foods is no longer just considered “whole paycheck” because now there is Whole Food 365. A fun, light, bright, modern store with Whole Food’s quality products, Whole Foods 365 has just opened their fifth location in Santa Monica and is the Please The Palate pick of the week. Located on the corner of Cloverfield Blvd and Pico in Santa Monica, Whole Foods Market 365 is a 30,000 square foot modern space with a shopper-friendly layout. They maintain strict ingredient standards and do not carry any products with artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives or hydrogenated oils. The vegetables are organic and conventionally grown. All beef, chicken and pork are step-rated by the Global Animal Welfare Partnership and are raised without the use of antibiotics and added hormones. Seafood is also held to the highest standards. There are numerous grab-and-go options, bulk foods, frozen foods, supplemental basics and dairy. There are more than 400 wines, most priced between $10-$20, more than 200 beers and more than 50 spirits. All of this is available at great prices! Highlights of the new Whole Foods 365 are: Local Products – Local bakery Larder Baking Company produces many of the breads and pastries. Bottles from Downtown Los Angeles’ Greenbar Distillery can be found in the spirits section and local Angel City Brewery is one of the many local craft beers. Wine Information – A kiosk by Delectable sits in wine and beer sections. Select a wine, beer or spirit and scan it at the kiosk to get food pairing ideas, ratings and user reviews. You can also enter key words of what you are looking for and it will offer suggestions. Digital Connection – There are screens placed throughout the store. And, all of the pricing is listed digitally by the product. In the produce section, you weigh your own items, enter the code and print out your own label that will easily scan through at check-out. Rewards Program – Whole Foods 365 has a “My 365 Rewards” 100% digital loyalty program with personalized special offers for shoppers. Members save 10% on more than 100 products throughout the store every day and all endcaps on the grocery aisles are an additional 10%. Digital punch cards are available with buy-5-get-1 free offers on products. You can sign up online and use your phone number or scan your rewards barcode at checkout. Prepared Meals – There are so many grab-and-go options, both fresh and frozen but my absolute favorite find was the mochi in the frozen section. Instead of having to buy a package of one flavor, you can pick and chose how many you want and what flavors. How fun!   Whole Foods 365 also has two friendly businesses adjacent to them – Groundwork Coffee Co. and Asian Box Street Food. Whole Foods 365 is a simple way to shop where fresh healthy foods are affordable every day and I am so excited to have one in my neighborhood. It is worth an extra few minutes drive just to shop here.