Universal Food Markets
The roughly 7000 square foot store had been Super El Rey for a long time, and possibly other supermarkets before that, but I don't know for sure (and I can't find an opening date for Super El Rey). In the 1960s through at least 1980, this spot was a furniture store.
Super El Rey was owned by Universal Food Markets, which has other locations in the area and owns the Eagle Supermarket on Elizabeth Avenue. Universal appears to be a group of stores owned by members of the same family. Most, but not all, of the Universal stores joined Key Food in 2023. In late 2024, this Elizabethport location began the process of rebranding from Super El Rey to Universal Food Markets, which involved some small updates inside. They held a grand reopening last month.
We'll take a look at the before-and-after throughout the store. Produce is on the left side in the first aisle, which is shorter than the other aisles to accommodate backroom space. Behind that is packaged meats, with a deli and butcher counter on the back wall. Dairy and frozen are on the right side in the last aisle.
Deli and butcher at the back of the store.
The grocery aisles are pretty straightforward, but extremely well-stocked, as you can see in both my 2024 and my 2025 pictures.
As you can see, obviously, the interior is rather old but it's gotten some good small updates, such as a new coat of paint on all these columns. As you can see above and below, they needed it.
Dairy and frozen in the last aisle, again with newer doors on older cases.
I don't know what prompted the rebrand to Universal. In the case of a few other stores, they changed from CTown or Bravo to Universal when they left Krasdale Foods and joined Key Food because Krasdale owned the rights to the CTown and Bravo names. But, as far as I know, there was no issue with naming rights for Super El Rey. Maybe it's just for consistency, given that the Rahway Universal isn't all that far away (about five miles southwest).
The bright orange color scheme has been replaced with a toned-down dark gray, which is attractive. Given the store's small size, you wouldn't want any distractingly busy decor here.
New aisle markers in the front, too. It looks like they may have moved the old aisle markers to the back of the aisles so that there would be a set at the front and back of each aisle.
Now, onto another Universal location in Orange, a little under 10 miles northwest!
Universal Food Markets
Ah yes, the Orange Universal. Previously a CTown, and maybe my least favorite Universal location. A note on the store's history: thanks to Groceteria's wonderful work, I can correct some of my past history. This store was originally a small chain called The Food Mart from around 1940 to the late 1950s, when it was taken over by Moe Glassman. In the early 1960s, it became a Foodtown, which it stayed through at least 1978. By 1981, it was a Fine Fare, one of an astounding 20 stores in New Jersey (there are now only five). It opened under Universal's ownership as a CTown in 1998 -- though it may have been a CTown under different ownership before then -- and stayed a CTown through 2023, when this store left CTown to join Key Food. It was rebranded Universal with a temporary banner and some minor updates inside. Finally, after a fresh coat of paint outside -- still in the signature CTown red and yellow, for some reason -- new permanent Universal signage has been added. You can see the store above in March, with new paint but no sign, and below earlier this month with the sign added.
I suppose the yellow and red of the fruit in Universal's logo does match the building, but still, I was hoping for a much bigger update here like in Rahway, which I linked above.
Opened: December 2024
Owner: Mukesh Patel
Previous Tenants: Super El Rey Supermarket
Cooperative: Key Food Stores
Location: 80 3rd St, Elizabeth, NJ
Photographed: March 29, 2024 and May 8, 2025
Greetings from Elizabethport, the waterfront neighborhood of Elizabeth, New Jersey, just south of Newark. (In fact, the Newark Airport -- in the news lately because of its extreme delays and flight traffic controller shortage -- is about half in Newark and half in Elizabeth.) Elizabethport is separated from the rest of the city by interstate 95, and is bounded by industrial areas to the north and south but is itself a largely residential neighborhood. It has two small supermarkets, a Superfood Marketplace on First Street and a couple blocks north, this small Key Food-affiliated supermarket on Third Street.
2024
This store is small but clean and well-appointed. The switch to Universal brought in some new decor and new paint on the walls, but basically, the store looks the same. Although it's older, it's in good shape.
2025
2024
Older cases with new doors added and a fresh coat of paint. We've seen that in other Universal stores, too. Although the new decor is modern and attractive, I kind of miss the charm of the hand-painted signage there on the back wall.
2025
2024
That said, obviously, the new look is much sleeker and more up-to-date. It's good to see this store's owners are taking care of it.
2025
2024
Not much else has changed in the grocery aisles, though. As a member of Key Food Stores, this store uses Key Food's Urban Meadow storebrand along with Essential Everyday items from UNFI to supplement.
2025
2024
The new decor is hung in front of the wall, not mounted on the wall itself, so that you can actually see it. Otherwise, it would get lost behind the cases and all the merchandise on top of the cases.
2025
2024
2025
Universal Food Markets
Opened: March 2023
Owner: Vishu Patel
Previous Tenants: The Food Mart > Moe Glassman > Foodtown > CTown Supermarkets
Cooperative: Key Food Stores
Location: 16-26 N Day St, Orange, NJ
Photographed: March 13, 2025 and May 6, 2025
There are now Universal Food Markets in Camden, Elizabeth, Hackensack (which recently got an interior renovation), Newark, Orange, Paterson, and Rahway. Universal also owns the Eagle Supermarket in Elizabeth, the Golden Mango in Paterson, and the Hackensack Market in Hackensack. Check out the rest of this weekend's posts here!
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