I just read this in the Seattle Times, I'll link it but don't know if there is a paywall, so I'll copy some of the text. Lynnwood is a suburb/city north of Seattle and Bellevue is a city just east of Seattle. I haven't heard of this store. Any of our Canadian participants (or Americans familiar with it) want to weigh in? I don't get up that way (north of Seattle) much any more, but it might be a fun outing for a rainy day!

"Canadian cult favorite T&T Supermarket opened its second U.S. location Thursday morning in Lynnwood, with fans braving chilly predawn rain to line up as early as 5:15 a.m. An estimated 500 people were in the queue for the 9 a.m. grand opening.

Many of those first in the door headed directly to the Asian market’s famed food court: Among hundreds of ready-to-eat items, favorites include “Crispy Papa” spatchcocked fried chicken, braised beef brisket with daikon, Peking duck and T&T’s signature mango cake. For the debut, the chain is offering several Lynnwood exclusives, including made-to-order “Baby Bear” bao and sesame mochi rice balls, along with the launch of a Thanksgiving menu featuring Chinese-style roasted turkey stuffed with seasoned sticky rice that is available for preorder at both the Lynnwood and Bellevue outlets.

T&T is also known for its live seafood and wide selections of frozen dumplings, hot pot ingredients, instant ramen and more to cook at home, plus scores of Asian condiments for flavoring and dipping. Additional popular offerings include specialty snacks and fruit.

The grand-opening ceremony at the Lynnwood Crossroads shopping center featured a ribbon-cutting and traditional lion dance, with speakers including T&T CEO Tina Lee; Canadian consul and trade commissioner Pierre Chalifour; Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell; and Lynnwood police Chief Cole Langdon.

Based in Richmond, B.C., T&T debuted its first U.S. store in Bellevue last December, with that opening snarling traffic and making parking places scarce for days around the Marketplace at Factoria. Lee told The Seattle Times that “the incredible support we received from the Bellevue community … encouraged us to bring T&T to Lynnwood,” and that the company is “thrilled to open our doors … (in this) vibrant, diverse community.”

The daughter of T&T founder Cindy Lee, she said that more U.S. expansion is on the way in California, including stores in San Jose, San Francisco, Irvine and Chino Hills.

The Bellevue location, in Factoria’s former Walmart, is the largest T&T to date at 76,000 square feet — that’s more than twice the size of the new Lynnwood sibling, housed where a branch of the Sprouts grocery chain used to be. Originally planned for this past summer, the hotly anticipated Lynnwood opening was postponed due to equipment delays.

Founded in 1993, T&T operates 37 markets in Canada and, now, two in the United States. Taking note of cars with Washington plates in the parking lots of the Richmond and Vancouver locations of the store, CEO Lee began plans for expansion about six years ago; the U.S. headquarters of the company is in Los Angeles."

Sounds like quite a place!

Link to article