Walmart Is Testing in-Store Sushi Bars

Walmart really, really, really wants to be a place where you can get everything. In a lot of ways, it already is: You could avoid any other store for the rest of your life, and you’d still find what you want in its cavernous halls. You’d just have to make peace with the fact that not all of it would be the best.

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Sushi’s a good example of this: You can find it at Walmart, sure, but it’s not gonna be incredible (and according to our taste-testers, other grocery stores do it better. Just sayin’.) However, it looks like Walmart’s now trying to level up its sushi game, with in-store sushi bars due to be tested at its Supercenters. We’re intrigued, worried, and weirdly excited. 

Great Value Sushi?

Walmart discussed the debut of its sushi bar in a press release discussing the opening of its new Supercenter in Jacksonville. The store, which Walmart stated “sets a new standard in retail,” will give customers the option to grab fresh sushi as part of what it’s calling its “Next-Generation Experiences.” These experiences will also include a bakery and a deli, which don’t feel quite as cutting-edge as Walmart’s billing them to be, to be honest. 

If this new sushi bar is successful, then you can likely expect to see Walmart rolling them out across a bunch more of its stores. The retail giant is planning on opening or converting more than 150 stores with its Supercenter concept over the next few years, meaning more fresh sushi for everyone. Its Jacksonville location is definitely going to act as a litmus test for how well this idea goes down.

Walmart Fans, Will You Ever Take Anything Seriously?

The concept of a fresh sushi bar at Walmart nestled amongst its Great Value products has, as you might expect, caused the internet to go hard on the jokes about it. Somewhat predictably, not everyone’s that excited about buying a notoriously delicate and tricky-to-prepare foodstuff, which takes decades to master, from a kiosk in a superstore – and some have flagged the potential issues with doing so. “Walmart sushi sounds like a great way to get food poisoning,” said a post on X, with others chiming in in agreement in the comment section. 

Others have pointed out that this isn’t an entirely new concept for Walmart. “They’ve actually been testing sushi at the Neighborhood Market on Baymeadows for almost a year now. They partnered with a company named “Mai” that brings in the product and puts it together in-house,” stated a person on Reddit in response to a post discussing the news. “I personally haven’t tried it, but my fiance enjoys it and the food quality looks comparable to Publix sushi.” Maybe Walmart’s sushi…won’t be that bad after all? Only time will tell, but if anyone wants to take one for the team and try it out, we’ll be awaiting your report.