Wheaton Mariano's now aiming for late October opening

Wheaton shoppers may have to wait a week or two longer than expected for the grand opening of Mariano's Fresh Market at the intersection of Naperville and Roosevelt roads. But the wait isn't expected to be much longer than that.

Officials from Roundy's Inc., Mariano's parent company, told city officials Monday the store's completion date is looking more like the end of October than the previously quoted Oct. 15 date.

“We're looking at trying to open in late October. I know site work was our biggest issue but we've made a lot of progress,” said Max Dickman, real estate development manager for Roundy's. “I was out at the site today. I think we're headed in the right direction. As long as the site work continues along, we should be fine inside the store.”

When open, Mariano's is expected to feature a full-service bakery, sushi restaurant and other in-house cooked foods along with a full selection of products and organic items.

Thanks to an ordinance amendment approved Monday night, the grocery store also will be allowed to feature on-premise consumption of beer and wine in an on-site cafe.

Roundy's officials have estimated the location will do $70 million to $80 million in annual gross sales and employ as many as 200 full and part-time employees.