Widgets Magazine
  • OKC-based startup set to open first on-demand grocery store

    Founders of Jack Be aim to make picking up fresh groceries as easy as a fast-food drive-thru.



    The Oklahoma City-based startup is set to start construction of its first retail store at NW 178 and May, but no customers will actually enter the 17,000 square foot building.

    Instead, they will place their order on a phone or computer, drive to the store, scan a QR code when parked and a Jack Be employee will bring out the bagged items and place them in the car.



    Jack Be CEO Alex Ruhter told OKCTalk the concept is different than anything currently available in the market because it's not home delivery (although that will be available from third-party operators like DoorDash) and pickup is truly on-demand. Customers place an order and by the time they arrive the order is likely to be ready. Or, orders can be placed after arriving at the store, taking only minutes to be completed.

    There will be no minimum order and no additional fees for pickup.

    The new company is headquartered in Oklahoma City and currently employs five full-time and two part-time employees. With one store set to start and two others in the area in the development stage and many more planned across the country, Jack Be has an aggressive growth strategy with a business model that is rapidly scalable.



    Ruhter said the primary goal is to make grocery shopping easier for everyone, particularly families with small children. He and the company founders want people to eat healthier and hope to steer families back to the dinner table.

    All the orders are to be handpicked (no robots) and no substitutions will be made.

    The company has purchased 3.5 acres on the northwest corner of NW 178th and May and paid $3.5 million. On the same corner, construction is underway on a 7-Eleven, Taco Bell and Starbucks. On the northeast corner, work has started on The Winston, a Hal Smith Restaurant with one location in downtown Norman. The Winston features “classic meals with a modern flair and boasts an unmatched whiskey selection”.



    Jack Be's development partner is local firm Ashton Gray which will be performing the construction.

    See more about Jack Be here: https://jackbe.life/.






Single Sign On provided by vBSSO