Key Food Stores

This store is disgusting. I’ve seen cases of dairy products left out of the fridge. A lot of times their produce is rotten. Avoid if you can. It’s a shame.

Unfriendly and unhelpful cashiers. Little selection. Produce is scant and often in poor condition. It’s clear there are no f*cks to be given here.

Since I lived around the corner and this was the only supermarket within walking distance, I unfortunately had to do some of my shopping here. The managers are not friendly and after shopping at this store for almost two years they couldn’t even give me a box that I asked for politely when I told them I was moving. I tried on several occasions and still was denied a box. I remember I tried to get some cheese at the deli once and the lady was too busy talking on the phone to help me. I waited for five min utes and she didn’t even acknowledge me. The prices are expensive in comparison to Target and I find the selection to be a little less desired. I even tipped one of the ladies that worked there 10 bucks and I also gave the lady that is always standing in front of Dunking Doughnuts some money to help her out. I understand that working at Key Foods is not anyone’s dream job but that doesn’t mean that the manager has to act rude every time I go there. I definitely will never go back to this place if I can help it and to be honest I really don’t want too. Fresh Direct has amazing customer service, friendly delivery drivers, and I highly recommend you check them out if you haven’t already

Since I lived around the corner and this was the only supermarket within walking distance, I unfortunately had to do some of my shopping here.
The place usually smells, the staff are not friendly especially the managers, things are often expired or about to be and they often don’t even have basic necessary items. Whenever i had to stop on my way home from work I would just go to the one in Kew Gardens which is much nicer!

The main problem here is they leave expired products on the shelf way too long. Beware of manager special sales since sometimes the items on sale are about to expire or have expired. They also are slow to fix pricing errors in the computer database, and would rather give you a refund than fix it.
And for some reason, the managers here hate working here. The thin one has a permanent «I hate this place!» look on his face. And the fat one ignores customers that ask «Are you the manager here?» with «I’m busy!» and walks away.

I’m not even sure why I go here sometimes. It’s usually a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ shot on if you’ll be able to find an item you want with a good (and unexpired) date on it. I’ve seen all sorts of expired food on the shelves. The produce is generally ok, but there are other stores nearby that will have better looking produce for lower prices. Though oddly enough, Tofurkey products normally cost less here than they do at a nearby health food store. They also don’t take down tags for the previous week’s sale promptly. Make sure to read dates on the bottom of the sale signs so you don’t end up buying things you think are on sale but aren’t.

This store is small.
The only things worth coming in here for is the Deli section because the meat does taste good and they wear gloves when serving you. It seemed like they changed gloves with every meat and cheese they touched. Im assuming its because of the jewish folks who live in the area and their kosher demands.
The dairy and frozen food section is pretty good too and always seem to have whats on sale.
The store is pretty clean and organized.
The produce is expensive.
Always long lines and maybe 2 cashiers open.
With their Raincheck policy, you can’t use it at another Keyfood and theres an expiration date on them. (30 days)

I can’t stand this Key Food. Sometimes the food items are expired, other times they don’t have very basic products. Also, they stock the shelves very irresponsibly. It’s not going to kill me or anything, but they way they stack the cereal boxes/​crackers is ridiculous. They should be lined up behind each other, not all stacked on top so that they fall like Jenja when you try to maneuver one out!
My biggest complaint is the staff though. Apart from maybe 3 – 4 employees who seem to give a damn, they’ve got no customer service skills of any kind. I’m talking about no «How are you? Have a good day» or even eye contact sometimes! The most they’ll say to you is the total, and «debit or credit?»

Key Food is always rip-​off-​ville, and this one is no different (for the quality provided). Prices are not great, selection is average save the Latin American section while some products are dusty and have not been cleaned since the sacking of Constantinople. The obvious sign of neglect is when a product is both dusty and is leaky liquid from the sides, meaning neither a customer nor employee has touched the item for a while. Other foods are well past the expiration date. Its sad when weeks go by without different flavors of a product being replaced.
Some of the cashiers are nasty and act like they should be rewarded for being in the company of an idiot shopper. Interestingly, these same polymath employees do not apply for a different job that makes sufficient use of their high IQs…
Those who work in the the deli, and most of the general employees are nice. However, I personally find some of the deli foods to be a bit disgusting, perhaps due to too much vinegar or condiments.
This is the only supermarket in the area unless you have an automobile. There are a few boutique groceries within walking distance, but their prices are not so great either, though the food quality is better.

I shop here regularly and I have to say this place is totally fine. This place has regular friendly people working here who are really doing their job well.
The place is always clean and items are mostly organized. The customer service is really good, the guys working here are friendly and easy to talk to. If you have a problem looking for something, you just simply ask them and they’ll help you out. The cashier will even tell you if there’s a sale on a certain item you’re buying which can help you save lots of money.
The deli section is great, the things I’m looking for are always in stock. The people working there are very polite and helpful at anyway.
Don’t expect this place to be like other places you’ve been to because this place is just as simple as it gets. Buy what you need and that’s all there is to it.

An ok Key Food. Nothing special, but it’s clean and the selection is decent.

I hate this key food.
I always have to check to make sure what I am buying has not expired. I have found food on the shelves here that expired years ago. I even wrote a complaint to keyfood headquarters, and of course I heard nothing. This place won’t improve, go to the food town store (formerly MET), or to the other key food that is just a few blocks to the west, it is MUCH better. Still, I cannot respect a company that cares so little, so unless it’s an emergency, I shop at fresh direct, stop and shop, fairway or the foodtown. You won’t think this store is better than nothing when you buy something that you didn’t realize expired years ago and then you end up sick from it.

Not very cheap and not many choices, but better to have it than nothing.

Ive always found the service here to be great. The lines move pretty fast, the aisles aren’t small and they have a variety of products. The deli section isnt huge, but it has a lot of cold cuts and cheeses to choose from. The store has always been clean and the produce fresh.

As someone who shops at Key Foods regularly for the past year, without a doubt, the staff (cashiers) at this Key Foods are repugnant. I’m there 2−3x a month and they always have an attitude, act out, use vulgar language. Not once out of all the times I’ve been in the store have any of the cashiers made a simple effort to say «Hi» or «How are you doing today,» or attempt to be the least bit cordial to me and their other customers. It’s because of this lack of customer service that I now do most of my big business with Peapod instead of subjecting myself to Key Food’s rude staff. Eventually, I will take this complaint directly to Corporate. Thanks Key Foods for alienating your customers and forcing them to take their business to your competitors.

Terrible terrible place. I wish they would just close up shop. At least I’m closer to the one on Union Turnpike. The very obese cashier is incredibly vulgar. Swearing and carrying on with customers. Bad talking customers she had before.
Most of the food is expired or going to expire soon. Milk from that place goes in like 3 days. What a waste of money!
Another thing, most of the people that work there seem annoyed or in pain. I had an Asian woman cashier the one time. Came to pick up milk and something else and needed cash back since my bank isn’t in the area. I slid my card and saw it was setup for credit. I asked, should I hit cancel or something to get debit? The woman aburptly says, it’s credit. Okayyyyyy, well I need debit, I need cash back. «Too late». Umm no, it’s not, I haven’t paid yet. «Should have said something» You never asked! Most places say debit or credit if their machines dont default debit (then you choose cancel to select credit or something of the sort). «well I can’t back out» I stood there for 10 seconds just staring. I still need the cash back! She gives me this annoyed, pained look and makes me sign for the transaction. Then puts in another transaction for .01 and has me swipe again. So not only did she give me attitude because she refused to do her job and ask debit or credit before assuming, she charged me a penny to do cash back all the while acting like I was sawing off her limbs.
This place should be closed immediately. It’s gross, it’s overpriced, and most of the people there are miserable little jerks. Avoid Avoid Avoid. Go to one of the small markets or the new natural food place on QB. The Key Foods on Union if you have to is a much better option. I usually shop at TJ, Stop and Shop, and Costco and use these places to get an item I forgot or need desperately for a recipe and can’t get to those places.

Way overpriced. Cold cuts are $ 2/​lb more expensive than the Met on Parsons and Hoover!!! The vegetables and fruit look over ripe and wilted. I have often picked up hummus and sour cream that had expired. I guess it’s hard to move product when everybody shops at BJ’s but geeze, make an effort to keep fresh produce at least.

This store PLEASANTLY surprised me. I am not embarrassed to complain, ask for a «favor,» (i.e., can you mark this down because its damaged, its my birthday, its expired,) or simply walk out without buying anything because the guy down the block has it for 30 cents less. In Queens, places like Key Food, Met Food, C-​Town and Associated are overgrown bodegas. They exist for the anti-​Costco crowd, and those who don’t have a car to drive to Pathmark. You can’t expect a Key Food, paying rent on Queens Boulevard, to compete with Super Stop and Shop, but this store is clean, convenient and priced fairly for the location. They also have the only available parking in Briarwood behind the store.
Maybe this store recently changed hands, because the reviews here do not represent my recent shopping experiences. Unlike most people I know, I buy small amounts of fruits, vegetables and canned beans almost daily. Maybe my own shopping habits and encounters with truly horrendous supermarkets shade my view of this store. Really, its not a bad place. It is clean, spacious and well stocked. The managers look like they take their job seriously.

I was warned by a neighbor that this store has very high prices due to the lack of competition, and that I should only shop here for the specials. I was rather pleasantly surprised to find that the first week I started shopping here, pineapples, mangoes and Goya canned beans – the low sodium variety, no less (!)– were all on sale for very good prices. A few days later, during my daily grocery adventure, I picked up some cold-​cuts to make a microwave pizza for a friend. The man at the counter actually let me order-​get this– three thin slices of provolone cheese.
My only complaint is that they do not stay open late enough. It would be great for the neighborhood if they were open until midnight, or even 24 hours.

This Key Food is awful! I don’t understand the price jump from this Key Food to the other Key Food that’s like only 10 minutes away. Don’t bother with the produce, it’s wilted and icky. The deli food is nauseating, the dairy items are questionable and I think some of their items haven’t been rotated in years because it’s just sitting there collecting dust. How can they charge so much for sub par items? Don’t even bother with the sale items, it’s never correct. How this place stays open for business is nothing short of a miracle. The store managers runs this place the same way they treat their customers and employees — horrible!

This Key Food is by far the worst supermarket I have ever had the displeasure of shopping in. The prices are outlandishly high. I can walk just a block down to the other little stores and get things for FAR cheaper. There are almost NO prices on the items themselves or on the shelves! Everything is disorganized and the sale items are frequently not in stock. I have a small pouch FULL of rain checks because it’s as if the store vehemently REFUSES to stock sale items.
The produce is moldy and rotten all the time. All the time! I never buy any produce there because there’s always things that are rotting all over the place and the prices are astronomical! Items on the shelf are often expired. I watched a worker clearing off a shelf full of a sale item and when I asked him why he showed me a box that had expired in May 2008! That is just insane!
The manager… oh my god. He is the most incompetent idiotic man I have had to deal with in a long time. He’ll smile at you and joke with you, but as soon as you turn your back he insults you. I heard a woman at the office asking them if they could order something for her and give her a rain check and as soon as she was gone I heard him talking about how annoying she is and that she asks them if they can get an item for her that hasn’t been in stock for some time! That man is beyond rude.
I like talking with several of the cashiers who work there because with the exception of a few of them, they are all quite nice. They’re sometimes grumpy, but it’s not hard to understand considering what goes on in that place. Most of the floor staff and the deli people I can get a smile and a conversation out of and it’s a nice thing to talk with a worker as opposed to just the «uh huh» and «yeah» you get at other places.
Don’t even get me started on how filthy the store itself is. The floors are dirty and items on the shelf are often sticky or just plain covered in dust and grime. I’ve picked up items like sugar and flour that had OBVIOUSLY been nibbled at by mice and bugs (how else did they get those little bite marks hm?)
Avoid this place if you can. Stay AWAY. Only go in if you’re desperate and you can’t find what you’re looking for somewhere else. I used to just browse this site but after yet another terrible experience I could no longer hold back on reviewing this place.