Zabar\u2019s<\/a> or Agata & Valentina blush.<\/p>\nAmong them: $14 tortilla chips, $12 bunches of grapes, $65 extra virgin olive oil \u201charvested from 150-year-old trees,\u201d $74 containers of Montauk General matcha powder, and $625 Siberian caviar.<\/p>\n
Meadow Lane\u2019s CEO, Sammy Nussdorf, has become a celebrity on TikTok, taking followers through the creation and construction of his chic gourmet grocery store. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
Many Meadow Lane products can be bought for lower costs at less glamorous locations.<\/p>\n
The Maldon sea salt flakes that retail for $10 at Meadow Lane can be snapped up for $6 or $7 almost anywhere else, while a $10, 6 oz. clamshell of Driscoll\u2019s blackberries can often be picked up at a bodega on sale for about a quarter of the price.<\/p>\n
But those in line outside Meadow Lane weren\u2019t looking for a bargain, and came ready to blow hundreds of dollars \u2014 more than many New Yorkers spend each month on groceries.<\/p>\n
CEO Sammy Nussdorf told The Post the idea for Meadow Lane came after the disappearance of the high-end Dean & DeLuca from the NYC retail landscape years ago. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
Many Meadow Lane products can be bought for lower costs at less glamorous locations, but shoppers seemed happy to sacrifice price for the experience of shopping in a luxe atmosphere. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
A customer is seen snapping pictures of the artfully displayed produce. For many, the experience of shopping in the high-end surroundings was almost as exciting as taste testing the items themselves. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
Call it a tale of two cities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love food, and we spend money on it,\u201d shopper Isabella Newnam, 26, told The Post. \u201cThat\u2019s New York for you. If you want to do something, you do it big.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others concurred, saying that with the skyrocketing cost of even ordinary groceries, which they derided as tasteless and loaded with chemicals, it was worth spending more for the good stuff.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn New York City, the price of regular things is crazy,\u201d Joy Papazian, 22, said. \u201cEven milk. The cost of everything has gone up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meadow Lane\u2019s fresh juices were a popular purchase on opening day, with many undeterred by the cost. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d rather get a little bit better quality and a better taste and healthier feel and spend a couple extra dollars,\u201d Brittany Blum, 24, chimed in.<\/p>\n
Other Gen Z customers told The Post that food was currently the one thing on which they were willing to spare no expense.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you asked me to buy a sweater for $150, no \u2014 but if you asked me to spend $150 on snacks, absolutely,\u201d Mary Laitan, 26, explained.<\/p>\n
The store sells fresh produce, as well as a range of pre-packaged sandwiches, soups and salads. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
The caviar is the most expensive item in the store, retailing for up to $750. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
Customers who came for the opening said they were most excited for grab-and-go food items, including a $21 Chinese chicken salad and the $24 miso salmon bowl.<\/p>\n
Nussdorf, the Willy Wonka of Meadow Lane, has been meticulously documenting the creation and construction of his store on TikTok for more than a year.<\/p>\n
Many of his videos, in which he taste tests items for purchase, have gone viral \u2014\u00a0transforming him into a minor celebrity and the store into a major destination.<\/p>\n
Stocking up: One early bird was lucky enough to get her hands on some coveted grab-and-go items. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
The Manhattan native told The Post the idea for Meadow Lane came after the disappearance of the high-end Dean & DeLuca from the NYC retail landscape years ago. <\/p>\n
His new store has already earned comparisons to uber-expensive Erewhon in Los Angeles, as well as the celeb-fave Round Swamp Farm in the Hamptons.<\/p>\n
Excited customers began lining up at 5 a.m., and a pair of handsome doormen handed out hats emblazoned with the Meadlow Lane logo to those who had shown up early.<\/p>\n
People waiting told The Post they had seen Nussdorf\u2019s content \u2014\u00a0and were curious about how the food items would taste.<\/p>\n
Pals Mary Laitin and Isabella Newnam described the opening day as their personal \u201cBlack Friday.\u201d Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
It felt less like the opening of a store, and more like a street party. One called it \u201cChristmas,\u201d another described it as \u201cCoronation Day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once inside, the shoppers weren\u2019t disappointed.<\/p>\n
The gorgeous interiors feel more like the set of a Nancy Meyers movie than an actual grocery store. Vases of fresh flowers dot the space, and the food items are so delicately displayed that they look like art pieces.<\/p>\n
The shoppers perused the pricey produce and prepared sandwich and soup options with the elegance of someone shopping at Chanel or Cartier.<\/p>\n
The $15 chicken nuggets had been touted by Nussdorf during one of his viral TikTok taste tests. Customers couldn\u2019t wait to get try the snack for themselves. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
Advertising account manager Sydney Savage, 22, dropped more than $260 on less than two dozen items. She said she\u2019d happily return.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had the turkey chili ($10) and the blue Masa tortilla chips ($14),\u201d she enthused. \u201cNot exaggerating, it was amazing and a 10\/10. So good and fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, The Post tried the hyped $15 chicken nuggets, which were surprisingly crispy and delicious. A $14 salmon sandwich and a $15 watermelon juice were less impressive.<\/p>\n
Joy Papazian, Sydney Savage and Brittney Blum pose with their purchases. Meadow Lane\u2019s eye-catching blue and white check bags are sure to become a new status symbol in downtown Manhattan. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n
Despite the elevated interiors and the even more elevated price tags, Nussdorf insists Meadow Lane is for everyone.<\/p>\n
He cites the low-priced coffee ($4) and pastries, hoping the store transforms from TikTok curiosity to neighborhood staple.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is for everyone,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n
Everyone with cash to burn, anyway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI\u2019m so hungry and so cold,\u201d a bundled-up young woman told The Post through chattering teeth, as she…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40444,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[68,289,2474,57,9,24,11,10,9936,6071,58],"class_list":{"0":"post-40443","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-exclusive","9":"tag-food-drink","10":"tag-food-trends","11":"tag-metro","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-new-york-headlines","15":"tag-new-york-news","16":"tag-supermarkets","17":"tag-tribeca","18":"tag-us-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}