Top Tomato Superstore Open in Holmdel

The new Top Tomato Superstore on Route 35 in Holmdel opened yesterday, 11 November 2010. They are supposed to feature a quality butcher, deli, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Users at Chowhound have been discussing this store's expansion from Staten Island into central New Jersey for about two years with a general consensus of ho hum, let's go to Wegman's. Hopefully customers will be more pleased with the offerings and service at the Holmdel store than the Freehold reviews would portend. If you've visited, please share your impressions here.

UPDATE: I dropped in at Top Tomato on Saturday afternoon. The store is much different from a usual grocery store because the typical aisles are relegated to the back quarter of the operation. You can see across most of the rest of the place, except for the deli counter in the center. Also, there are numerous stations around the store: a place for meats, for breads, for seafood, for cheeses, even a place for olives. They also have a cafe in the corner, a coffee grinding area, and a jewelry vendor. 

They have a fountain near the entrance and a sign saying they don't use any gimmicks, an odd juxtaposition. I didn't see any hand baskets for shopping, only carts; a number of customers were walking around with their hands full of items.

I almost walked away from the deli counter because I saw a lot of Take A Number slips on the counter and a customer number lit in red behind the counter, but no Take A Number dispenser. Bad arrangement. One of the deli workers saw me looking perplexed and grabbed the sale before I could get away. Good job.

My dealings with the deli revealed some staff to be capable and knowledgeable sales personnel while others seemed unfamiliar with the products around them and how to market them. There must have been six men behind the deli counter today. A bit chaotic, but nobody had to wait, I have to admit. I could have had three or four of them serving me at once if I asked. I had two. I don't imagine the store can afford to overstaff the store long term. You'll certainly get some attention over the next week or so.

Top Tomato Superstore in Holmdel opened on Veterans Day 2010

The crowd at the Deli at Top Tomato was behind the counter

The meats counter at Top Tomato in Holmdel

Fruits are neatly stacked, probably too neatly.

Olives & Pickles get a touch of Venice at Top Tomato in Holmdel

The Cafe at Top Tomato, as seen through the nearby fountain