Kitchen 1883

Kroger's different version of the late Wegman's Pub.

Not all Krogers are created equal. The same, I found on a recent trip to Austin, is true of Texas grocer H-E-B.¹

I went to an H-E-B in Austin and was shocked this location still was in business. It was utter garbage, on par with a Shoppers Food Warehouse in Alexandria still limping along with a closing date in the very near future. Completely unlike the first H-E-B experience I had years earlier in San Antonio.

While it’s less common here in the home of Kroger, it’s also true of Kroger that some older locations are just dated and either not in need of refreshing because they’re very profitable or middling.

Though, while Kroger owns higher-end chains, like Harris Teeter, outside of Cincinnati, competitors like Wegmans, pre-COVID, put high-end restaurants inside of their stores. Why hasn’t Kroger?

Enter Kitchen 1883, a restaurant concept they rolled out in 2017 in Union, Kentucky. A year later, a location in Anderson Township, and a third in OTR.

Executive Chef Chris Bushelman told CityBeat “If we’re going to grow the concept, we should be 70 percent concept and 30 percent local, not just (regarding the) ingredients but also the taste of your guests in that region.” I am not sure about that, will defer to their research, as the locality of the food made no difference to this consumer. I didn’t go into it thinking it was a Silver Diner with Chef Ype’s many locally-sourced delights.

CityBeat reports that this restaurant concept runs adjacent to its grocery brand. The restaurants are not inside the stores, nor are its food inputs part of the Kroger supply chain. This is the opposite of what Wegman’s did with the Wegman’s Pub concept, which they killed off in 2020, largely due to COVID.

While the Pub was family friendly, it was also a great DINK date night spot to feed your tummy (hopefully) before dropping $300 on groceries. You’d go to the Pub and everything on the menu was a variation of a Wegman’s product. And if you had questions, your waiter had answers. It was about moving product.

Kitchen 1883, like I said, is Kroger adjacent: the Anderson store is in the same shopping center as the Mega-Kroger—once its largest. There’s also a Kroger gas station there.

We went there for dinner yesterday after an after-school activity because our planned recipe idea fell through and we needed a quick bite. Presumably, just what Kroger imagined with this concept, as Kitchen 1883 could equally be a family-friendly quick dinner, an early date spot, or, like the table next to us, a place for a group of ladies to get a drink, eat, and work. A way to capitalize on the draw of Kroger, without the distinct affiliation, and capture more of the revenue of Kroger shoppers. When my wife texted me Kitchen 1883 as a suggestion, she wrote “Kitchen 1883 by Kroger” but she meant in proximity to, not by Kroger, but that’s how I took it. And when I googled it, I stumbled down this rabbit hole and wanted some chicken and waffles.

Before you ask: It passed the fry test. Not just mine (I ordered some since it didn’t come with my entree), but Twin B, who focused on her fries before her grilled cheese, a rarity!

In looking at the menu, I debated getting the steak, but I wasn’t sure if the “Mexican street corn hash” was for me. And this didn’t seem like the place that you can easily switch out entree-featured sides. The burger and wings sounded enticing, but the chicken and waffles? I wanted to give it a shot.

The menu.

I hadn’t paid attention when we moved here to what the atmosphere was like in the summer, but among the attractions: A magician and an artist who does free caricatures.

There was also a play kitchen in the waiting area, and an umbrella can, confirming The Gaffigan Theory that “umbrellas are just batons being passed around the world.”

Look! A chicken soup cook off from the local temple! I’m not sure what to make of this, but my first thought was that the “Wise Temple Brotherhood” sounded like a Freemason’s thing, as the Masons and American Legion in Mt. Washington do spaghetti nights. You know, like the Optimists.

I grew up in Shaker, so I am aware in a broad sense of the City’s proud Jewish history, but finding out that it was a Jewish Temple and not a social club made me even happier, but also a bit sad because as great as my Catholic, very buttoned up, mostly-French grandmother’s chicken noodle soup recipe is, I know that it can’t compete with the Jews on soup.

Maybe I’m selling it short. But at least I know I like it, along with Kitchen 1883. Kroger, if you’re listening, I think it’s a winning strategy. Might even work for Harris Teeters in the DMV.

Especially since Wegman’s pulled the plug on their Pubs!

UPDATE: 4/28/25: Kroger is pulling the plug on the concept.

1. The B stands for Butts. Not kidding.