After several months of delays, the long-awaited Metropolitan Bakery has finally opened on campus.
The eatery, located at 4013 Walnut St., opened its doors on Monday, although its grand opening will take place in the middle of next month.
"We made a decision to open, a soft opening -- just because we wanted to make sure everything was set," said Jim Lilly, the store's owner. "We'll do a grand opening the week of May 17th -- that's the week of graduation."
Over the next few weeks, the store's offerings will also expand greatly, as a number of hot and cold items will be added to the currently limited menu.
"We'll gradually, over the next week to week and a half, introduce soups, hot sandwiches, salads, fruit plates, spreads and rolls," Lilly said.
Thus far, Metropolitan has done little advertising, and did not heavily promote for the store's first day.
"We did give out some coupons at some seminars at Wharton," Lilly said. But "we didn't do anything for the general public."
Despite the lack of publicity, a number of patrons braved the wet weather Monday and made their way to the eatery, as business trickled in throughout the day.
"Even though it was a rainy day, people found us from walking by on the street," Lilly said.
And although Metropolitan carries foods that are similar to other stores in the area, such as Cosi, Bucks County Coffee and Au Bon Pain, Lilly thinks a superior product will distinguish his eatery from the others.
"I think the biggest difference is that all of our sandwiches and bread products are Metropolitan Bakery products," Lilly said. They have a "reputation for 10 years as the premier artisanal baker in Philadelphia."
Additionally, the new store will cater to those with a serious sweet tooth, as it will have a large selection of desserts.
"We carry a full line of desserts -- cakes, cookies, brownies, lemon squares, tarts," Lilly said. "We have a complete sweets line the other stores don't have."
Metropolitan Bakery, which was founded in 1993 in Center City, currently operates seven locations, all of which are in the Philadelphia area.
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