Key Food Supermarkets - Bronx, NY (Wakefield)

Key Food Supermarkets

Opened: ca. 1990s

Owner: Sal Bonavita

Previous Tenants: Pioneer (1980-ca. 1990s)

Cooperative: Key Food Stores

Location: 4171 White Plains Rd, Bronx, NY

Photographed: March 8, 2019 and March 27, 2024

Before we begin, just a heads up: this was originally posted in August 2020, but was rewritten with new photos in July 2026. Now for the post! This 9200 square foot supermarket was previously a Pioneer until the late 1990s, when Sal Bonavita joined the Key Food cooperative. Today, the Bonavita chain (which has three stores in this part of the Bronx) runs under the name Bonavita Market with secondary Key Food branding. This is one of two Key Food stores on White Plains Road, the other is a former Met Foods down in Allerton. Above is the storefront from my original 2019 picture, and now let's take a look at the store's present-day appearance.

The exterior got a fresh coat of paint around 2020, and that also seems to be when the interior was redone with Bonavita's latest decor. It still has the feeling of an old-school Bronx supermarket, but now with some fresh new signage and some newer displays and fixtures.

Produce is on the right side of the store in the first aisle, with the deli-bakery at the back of the first aisle. Meats line the rest of the back wall, with dairy and frozen in the last aisle on the left side.

The renovation does seem to have been fairly extensive, including new flooring and decor throughout the store. Some things, like the refrigeration and grocery shelving, don't seem to have been replaced.

Here's a small glimpse of the older decor.

This store is just a block north of a new Shop Fresh Food Marketplace in a former Rite Aid, but the day I visited both of these stores, both were crowded so it doesn't seem that the new Shop Fresh will hurt this existing store too much.

I really appreciate this store's commitment to taking its decor seriously even in such a small space with low ceilings. There's some great signage inside here, such as the arrow sign you can see below. It's a nice way to freshen up an older supermarket.

We'll see if anything further changes as this Key Food adjusts to the new Shop Fresh, but so far, it seems to be just continuing on the way it's been. Nothing wrong with that, from what it looks like!

This post was rewritten on July 7, 2026 with new photos.