On Thursday, April 17, Aliso Viejo’s 99 Ranch Market had its soft opening in The Commons. This newly added branch is the largest 99 Ranch Market in all of Orange County.
Kat Tran (12) shares her opinion; “I’m excited that a local 99 Ranch Market is opening. Growing up, I would go there with my family to get some snacks or food for dinner, so it’s nice to finally have a 99 Ranch closer to where we live.”
99 Ranch Market is an Asian supermarket chain that is widely popular across the country. The market provides a diverse range of snacks, foods, produce and meat from various Asian cultures. These high quality products are sold for affordable prices, offering customers excellent goods and deals.
The main purpose of holding a soft opening was a test trial before the grand opening happening just two days after. Local shoppers living close to 99 Ranch Market were able to have a head start familiarizing themselves with the store. Especially since many have been anticipating the store, countless people already showed during the two-day soft opening.
Once entering the market, there is a bakery and café, selling an assortment of baked goods and drinks to choose from. Past the traditional supermarket aisles and towards the back of the store, there is a seafood and meat section that offers a wide selection customers can choose from. Although most of the store has opened, the Korean restaurant, Atoyubu, is still closed for further construction.
Following the soft opening, 99 Ranch’s grand opening was on Saturday, April 19 at 8 a.m. Starting up the grand opening, the Aliso Niguel Color Guard team performed a flag sequence to the song “Summer” by Calvin Harris. Their presentation was an exciting start to opening up the supermarket.
Captain of the ANHS color guard team, Paige Bergman (12) says, “The color guard had a blast helping up with the opening of 99 Ranch Market. We are so thankful we were given the opportunity to perform for such an important event!”
After the color guard performance, there was a traditional lion dance to bring good luck, prosperity and defend against any evil spirits. Additionally, there was a live DJ to keep up the excitement and energy of the spectators during the ribbon cutting ceremony and officially open the market.
Inside the store, there were still small special events that people were still able to attend, such as the sugar bee apple giveaway, tuna cutting show, tasting for wagyu beef, wine and sake, a balloon twisting entertainment and a capsule toy giveaway. In honor of the grand opening, there were also special deals like spending over $49 to receive a surprise snack, spending over $79 to receive one “Our Place” steam basket and spending over $99 to receive a $10 gift certificate for Aliso Viejo’s 99 Ranch. The weekend was completely packed with people, excited to see what the market has to offer.
The opening of 99 Ranch Market in Aliso Viejo has positively impacted the community, bringing diversity into the area and further exposing Asian culture. This new addition not only offers a wide variety of Asian groceries and snacks that customers can choose from, but it also serves as a place where people can connect and expand their knowledge about one another’s cultures.
