Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Seed to Table Is a Must-Visit Nightclub Grocery in Naples Florida
When a grocery store’s motto is “Come shop, dine and dance with us”, you become a bit intrigued. I started seeing Seed to Table in Naples, Florida all over my social media feed when I moved to Florida in 2020. I saw videos of people dancing in what looked like a club setting, but it said it was a grocery store. My husband and I finally decided to visit the 75,000 square foot Seed to Table Market in 2024 and here’s why we think it’s worth the visit.
We pulled into the extremely full parking lot around 4:45 pm on a Saturday in March. We barely found a spot to park in, but we thankfully did. There were people coming out of the store with shopping carts and looking happy, so we entered the sliding doors of the store and started our Seed to Table journey.
Upon entering, we instantly heard live music and saw the band playing in a small coffee/bar area towards the front of the store that was packed with people. It was very overwhelming for a grocery store, but fascinating to see. A live band is not something I’ve ever experienced inside a grocery store.
Carolyn and Tommy Braden at Seed to Table
If you’ve ever been to a Buc-ee’s Gas Station and Travel Center, Seed to Table reminded me of that a bit. Buc-ee’s always is full of people shopping, standing around talking, and extremely busy, and this place was very similar. Seed to Table has been open since 2019 and it is showing no sign of slowing down. I’ve always loved grocery stores, as I went grocery shopping all the time with my Nani (maternal grandmother) when growing up.
I like to cook too, so grocery shopping is never dull for me. I like picking out my food, looking at new products and often times love the background music (have you ever noticed that many grocery stores play really good music to keep you happy while shopping?). Seed to Table was like a new playground for me to explore.
We had to park in the very back as the lot was very full
We were hungry already and saw on their website that they had restaurants within the store, so we headed to the center of the store to an area that kind of looked like a food court at a mall. There was a set of glass enclosed stairs adorned with some tropical plants leading up to an area that houses the nightclub. During the day, it is full of tables with table service and you can order food from one of their many “restaurants” and a server will bring you food.
Behind Tommy is the glass stairway to the nightclub and more dining areas
Every single table upstairs was completely full, so we just looked around at bit. The nightclud area, called “Hops & Vines” looked ready to entertain, with an area for a DJ or band, club lights and tropical décor. We headed back downstairs, hoping to grab an open table. We looked at some of the menu marquees for the food court style restaurants, and while standing, I happened to spot an open table, so we sat down to catch our breath for a moment. There was a menu on our table, so we picked out what we wanted to eat and my husband went to order it.
One of the many menu choices at Seed to Table
While my husband ordered the food, he talked to some store workers about feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the people and activity. They told him that the number of people in the store would double in about three hours. There were already tons of people of all ages eating, drinking and shopping in the store, so it was hard to imagine it getting even busier! If the future of grocery stores is this, I could see it being a great opportunity for people that love to be in crowds and are very social, but for people that don’t like crowds, it’d be a store to visit on maybe a Monday morning.
The taco menu at Seed to Table
The concept of grocery stores becoming a more social environment or an entertainment venue is happening all over the United States. My sister-in-law loves visiting Jungle Jim’s International Market in Ohio, and while Seed to Table is a bit more over the top than that, it’s definitely a trend I look to continue to grow and evolve.
While I waited for my husband to return from ordering our food, I saw people start filtering into the store looking like they were ready to party. I saw on social media that they sometimes have theme nights, and this night may have been “leather” night, as many came in with leather pants and leather skirts on.
The Colonel Taco at Seed to Table was delicious!
After ordering some fancy tacos, my husband came back to the table with a GPS laden buzzer. Within a few minutes, a waiter brought us our food and it was truly delicious. I got “The Colonel”, which was a buttermilk fried chicken tender taco and I loved it. My husband got the “Classic American” taco and loved it too. You may think a taco is just a taco, but these were definitely different and delicious.
After eating, we explored the store some more, as we did intend to purchase a few things. We loved their Italian food section. It was filled with imported foods, some of which we had never seen before. We visited around Easter time, so there was a display filled with tons of candy, giant chocolate Easter eggs and more. The store design was fascinating to me, as it reminded me of being inside a “larger than life” Las Vegas casino. They had unique neon lit displays, a wood barn-like structure to house the produce and a big “BAKERY” sign that you could not miss.
The Italian food selection at Seed to Table was amazing
The 1950’s style Ice Cream Parlor was packed with people waiting for workers to make them a milkshake or sundae. On the opposite side of the store, there was a giant wine area that looked like a chic wine cellar. We could see the start of an area that said it was “the greenhouse” (it was under construction during our visit) which I assume will be where you can purchase flowers or fresh herbs eventually.
Seed to Table ice cream parlor
They already have a beautiful large flower area in which you can purchase bouquets and balloons. It took us a while to find the organic foods (they are mostly separate from the regular foods) in the center of the store and were pleased to see a very full selection with many of our favorites.
The next time you go to the grocery store, pick up the ingredients to my Chocolate Strawberry Trifle….it IS DELICIOUS! See the recipe below in my one-minute tutorial or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Seed to Table produce and bakery
Seed to Table has a nice selection of gifts and beauty products as well. It’s well lit, making it resemble makeup counters at malls. After being in the store for a while, we started seeing a small selection of political goods in a back corner of the store and we both remembered that the owner, Alfie Oakes, is a prominent political supporter in Florida and is not shy about it. If you aren’t really keen on shopping somewhere that definitely takes a strong political stance, you don’t have to shy away from Seed to Table. The political stance is not blatant and it’s not a priority over making customers feel welcome in their grocery store/entertainment venue.
The beautiful Seed to Table desserts
We were a bit surprised to see some of the prices on some items being almost $2-$3 higher than our regular grocery store, Whole Foods. Not everything is more expensive (their elaborate cakes were actually very affordable!), but many of the organic foods were. We bought a few organic apples (priced appropriately) and my husband snagged an organic bottled Italian coke (a brand we had not heard of before) that was delicious.
They had many freshly prepared pastas, full prepared to-go meals, beautiful desserts and so much more that all looked amazing. While we won’t be able to make the hour drive from our Sanibel Island home to Naples to shop the store all the time, the food we ate and the overall happy social vibe of the store would make us want to return on occasion.
The chocolate mint cheesecake at Seed to Table looked delicious
While we did not stay for the night club time, you can check out their full list of parties and events on their website. You can also follow them on Instagram to see what their night club is all about. It looks fun if you are into clubbing and live music! The drinks were fairly costly (I saw a shot on their drink menu listed at $10), so be prepared if you are going there to drink. They also have family friendly events like an Easter Bunny Meet & Greet and other holiday events.
Checking out to purchase our food was like any other grocery store. We waited at the checkout line and made our purchase quickly and easily. As we walked to our car at around 7pm, three cars slowly rode alongside of us, wanting our parking spot as every spot was filled. There were even cars parking in spots that were not parking places, which was a concern to us.
We barely got our SUV out of its spot. I do hope the store expands its lot (or hires a parking lot security person) as the overflowing of cars parking illegally is a definitely a fire/safety hazard. If you are going there to meet up with friends for drinks at night, it’d be best to take an Uber or carpool.
Seed to Table has LOTS of unique food items
Seed to Table is unlike any grocery store I’ve ever been to and I’m glad we went. I do think the concept is different and unique. People like being social and Seed to Table gives humans that go-to place to do just that in what feels like a safe and happy environment. Their website says “Welcome to the happiest place in the universe” and if you are looking for that in a grocery store, Seed to Table might just be your place.
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.