You want a meal with that? Tauranga supermarket set to open food hall

A boss-and-staff collaboration in Tauranga has resulted in New Zealand's first supermarket eatery, which will feature three food outlets and create new jobs.

New World Brookfield owner/operator Brendon Good said he wanted to maximise the store's foyer space and deliver an elevated fresh-to-go offering akin to a metropolitan food hall.

"The team and I have been tinkering with an idea like this for the past couple of years now."

He said the project was driven by customers who were looking for healthy, affordable meal options and it had seen significant growth in its ready-to-heat, ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook offerings over the last couple of years.

The store will add Ha! Poke Bowls, Ha! Juices and Taco Joint powered by Mexicali Fresh food stalls to its food-to-go offering, which would complement its existing cafe.

The eatery would be managed by New World Brookfield staff when it first opens but Good said he would be employing about 10 new people.

The cafe was going to start evening meal options "so we need fast-paced, friendly team members to help drive the vision".

"Locals should keep their eyes peeled, as job listings will be advertised shortly."

Good said he did not want to disclose the cost of the project but "we've made a sizeable investment".

"The eatery will have a state-of-the-art kitchen, funky modern front-of-house design and comfortable in-store dining. We want customers to feel as if they are in a modern food hall.

"We're very much looking forward to bringing them a New Zealand first with our new eatery."

Construction is well under way and the food hall is set to open in September.