As the owner of several Foodtowns in New York, Shady Widdi has built upon his family roots in the grocery business to create a thriving enterprise. With over 20 years of experience, Widdi works to ensure that all customer needs are met, prices remain competitive, and his stores hold the highest standards. While he has faced challenges, his resilience and dedication continue to yield success.
An Early Involvement in the Grocery Business
Widdi became involved in the grocery business at a young age while working at his father’s supermarket, which was established in 1967 by his grandfather. Widdi’s father built on his own father’s legacy, expanding the supermarket’s reach to a second location in 1983. By the early 2000s, Widdi was appointed as the leader of this second location. Under his leadership, he was soon able to triple the store’s performance.
A Will to Succeed in Spite of Difficulty
Though Widdi found success expanding his family’s business, it was clear that achieving growth was much more difficult for him than it had been for his father and grandfather. There were fewer rules and regulations in the industry when they got their start and more opportunities to make money as a result. From his perspective, Widdi was faced with a market defined by tough competition and rising costs, which made it difficult for even established business owners to succeed. Still, Widdi was determined to push forward.
Growing up in a culture that places an emphasis on respecting one’s elders, Widdi initially expanded the family business out of a sense of responsibility and a desire to please his father. He was motivated by these strong family figures, who supported him along the way. However, his perspective was still drastically impacted when he got married and had children of his own. Suddenly, the desire to improve the business was driven by a need to provide for his family; his sense of achievement was tied to them.
Launching Foodtown
In 2016, Widdi made significant renovations to the store, which significantly improved the store’s performance, now three times as profitable as it had been previously. In 2020, despite the challenges he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, Widdi made the decision to launch a Foodtown location in Park Slope. Maintaining the exceptional customer service he demonstrated at his family’s grocery business, Foodtown quickly received substantial positive feedback and began to flourish. Following this success, the second location at Noll Street in Bushwick has also flourished.
Service, Quality, and a Personal Connection
At Foodtown, Widdi works closely with his employees to ensure high standards of service, regularly reviews the quality of his business operations and, perhaps most importantly, maintains a personal connection with his customers. Widdi takes great pride in his personal connection with customers, able to call most of them by name when they visit his businesses to create a welcoming environment. Through this approach, he actively builds a relationship with the community.
Prioritizing growth, atmosphere, and the customer experience, Widdi has successfully built upon his family legacy to create something of his own. Moving forward, he aims to meet every customer’s needs, keep prices competitive, and maintain high standards across each of his stores, no matter what challenges may come his way.
