Broward Meat & Fish debuts new expanded store in Margate

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Broward Meat and Fish, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Meat and poultry section at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Fresh fruits and vegetables at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Seafood section at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Salmon steaks on display at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Customers shop at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Seafood manager Nick Macias, right, picks out a fish for a customer at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Fresh produce on display at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Assistant meat manager Andrew Founds prepares a meat display at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

A customer shops at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Cuts of meat on display at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Broward Meat and Fish, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Fresh produce on display at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Broward Meat and Fish, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Seafood clerk Mark Smith, right, picks out shrimp for Genevieve Campbell at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Fresh fruits and vegetables at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Cuts of meat on display at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Customers check out at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

Iliyhana Bowen shops for frozen meat at Broward Meat and Fish on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Margate.

The first thing you’ll notice walking into Broward Meat & Fish's new Margate location is how spacious, clean and new it is.

The store's main sections are identified with big bright letters visible from every area of the retail floor. Appetizing colors and brick facades give the grocery a modern farmer's market vibe.

Meat and seafood counters, dry goods aisles and produce bins stretch far and wide, displaying quantities and varieties unimaginable when the building's former occupant, Penn Dutch Meat & Seafood Market, was located here.

Forget everything you knew about the building's history. After buying the entire strip mall anchored by its former competitor Penn Dutch in late 2020, Broward Meat & Fish owners Ruben and Denise Lujo invested a small fortune gutting the building down to its cinderblock bones and rebuilding it from floor to ceiling and back to front.

The Margate store, located southwest of the intersection of State Road 7 and West Sample Road, quietly opened on Monday without its hot prepared food counter and bakery fully operational.

Those should be running in a couple weeks and a live lobster tank should be installed soon after that, says Athalia Lujo, daughter of Ruben and Denise who serves as the company's general counsel and helps with its day-to-day responsibilities.

Athalia's brother and sister work full time for the company as well. Brother Ruben Lujo Jr. is operations manager and sister Jacqueline Lujo manages the human relations department.

The owners ran no advertising and sent out no news releases about the opening, Athalia says. Only the 20,000 or so consumers who follow the store on Facebook were told on the social media app that Monday would be the day they were waiting for.

Considering the low-key announcement, the opening-day crowd was surprisingly large, she says. Customers pushed their carts with ease throughout the 35,000 square feet of retail space, checking out the eclectic mix of brands they have grown accustomed to at the company's stores in North Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes and Pembroke Pines. The brands come from Latin America, the Caribbean, Bahamas, South America, Africa and beyond.

Domestic brands are in ample supply as well, and transplants from Nebraska who have never eaten a Caribbean dish will be able to find everything they need.

The store's large size accommodates about 30% more items. There's an expanded produce selection from local sources such as Oakes Farms in Immokalee, and a bigger variety of beef at every price point, including "prime, choice, imported and grass-fed," Athalia Lujo said.

There are also Caribbean favorites such as chicken feet, turkey necks and various organ meats, and big selections of whole fish and fish fillets.

Store managers are counting on local residents from Margate and surrounding communities to tell them what other cultures and cuisines need to be represented.

"Right now, we’re just listening," says Eric Pittman, the new store's meat department manager. Suggestions are encouraged, he says.

A full grand opening with storewide sales and food sampling will take place in January after any and all outstanding details are addressed, Ruben Lujo said as he helped an employee stock a display case with frozen buffalo fillets.

Nothing remains of the old Penn Dutch operation that was forced to permanently shut down in September 2019 after state health inspectors discovered listeria contamination at its Hollywood and Margate locations.

"There's not a pipe or wire remaining from Penn Dutch," Athalia Lujo says.

After announcing the purchase in January 2021, the Lujos said they hoped the reconstruction would take 10 months to a year. But the challenge turned out to be more formidable than anticipated.

"We thought we’d be able to keep more of the interior structure, but it was in such poor condition we had to completely demolish it," Athalia Lujo says.

Supply chain issues caused additional delays, but "we’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished in two years," she says.

At the rear of the store, beyond a set of swinging double doors is the meat processing room, a 4,800-square-foot space with all new stainless steel cutting tables, and brand new grinders, tenderizers, sausage linkers and band saws.

Before Penn Dutch was shut down, health inspectors found listeria traces on some of the meat processing equipment. Rolando Otero, meat division manager who has been with Broward Meat & Fish since its founding 32 years ago, says he knows potential customers might wonder whether any of that equipment is still in use. None of it is, he said. Everything in the room is brand new.

Beef, chicken and pork each have their own set of machines, and each machine is sanitized at the end of each day, he said.

Shoppers, he predicted, "are going to be very happy" with the care and detail that went into ensuring that meat is safely processed at all times.

News of the new store opening on Facebook was greeted by fans asking the family to open new stores in their areas. "We need one in Hollywood!" Grace Soraya Vazquez posted. "Every city needs one!"

Asked about further expansions, Ruben Lujo smiled at his daughter. "That's for the younger generation to decide," he said.

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at [email protected].

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