MCMURRAY, Pa. – What do you get when you mix an upscale grocery store with a convenience store? For Giant Eagle, the answer is Market District Express, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The 15,500 square-foot drug store-market-restaurant hybrid recently opened in McMurray, Pa.

A drive-through allows for quick pickups of items like medications, while diners enjoy Yuengling beer on tap and freshly made food in the 84-seat eating area. “We really think this is going to be a local neighborhood store,” said Rob Borella, senior director of corporate communications. 

While Giant Eagle views the McMurray location as a pilot store, the company already has two more Market District Expresses in the pipeline for Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio.

Jeff Lenard, NACS spokesman, said that Market District Express shows the overlap between convenience stores, supermarkets and drugstores, among other concepts. Fueling that evolution is convenience foods. “People expect good food on the go,” he said.

Improving convenience store food are chains such as Sheetz, while specialty grocers such as Trader Joe’s use small spaces to great advantage. In fact, Trader Joe’s began as a convenience store chain more than 60 years ago.

Lenard said that for the hybrid format to succeed, the checkout process should run smoothly and quickly. “Lines are a convenience store's enemy,” he said.