Hy-Vee Food Store

I am not a local Dubuquer, but I frequently visit this awesome town and have ran into this Hyvee on several occasions for this or that. I find the selection to be decent for the area and the prices are comparable to grocers nearer to Chicago. What I am reviewing for you today is the deli/​catering.
This past weekend I attended the memorial service for my darling Gram who passed at an amazing 92 years old. She had the time and the wherewithal to request a dinner for her family and friends at her local church immediately following her beautiful service. Hyvee brought in the food.
Everything was packaged in amazing heavy duty containers that were sealed when everyone finally meandered into the fellowship hall… grace was given and lots of visiting and chatting and catching up happened long before anyone got in line for the meal… and yet everything was literally piping hot. We had roast beef and fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy and corn and some dinner rolls. The chicken was really fantastic… far far better than any of the fried or broasted chicken at any of my local grocery stores and the roast beast was tender and delicious.
Very impressive for a small town grocery store catering gig. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone in the area in need of this type of meal. There was probably close to 100 people with plenty of food leftover that was donated to a local shelter.

I never realized how amazing Hy-​Vee is until I left Iowa. I lived in Chicago for three years as a grad student and food shopping was a nightmare. I tried a great number of grocery stores – Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Dominicks, Jewel-​Osco, and the local fruit and veggie markets – and could not find one that offers everything that Hy-​Vee offers when it comes to selection, price, and healthy food (salads, marinated fish, quinoa mixes, etc) prepared at the store. Additionally, the meat and deli selection at Hy-​Vee is remarkable. I have never been disappointed by the quality of meat that Hy-​Vee offers. Lastly, they carry Tupaut Kombucha tea in the organic section! It’s made in Door County, WI (love that place) and it is, by far, the best kombucha tea I’ve ever drank.

I am amazed by how friendly every worker at this store is. Definitely the best grocery store in Dubuque in terms of customer service. Every worker goes out of their way to say hello. Any time i can’t find something they insist on showing me exactly where it is. Great selection and clean. I also love that all of the Hyvees provide employment for individuals with all types of disabilities. The prices could use some improvement and i never seem to earn much for fuel saver but overall every experience is positive.

For those not familiar with HyVee, I believe this is a regional grocery store chain. There are three in Dubuque alone. This one is large, clean, and well stocked with just about anything you might ever need to find in a grocery store… and then some.
Big note here: they are also the only places that have Starbucks (not a single freestanding Starbucks in the entire town). This gives it extra points when it comes to my girlfriend who is a Starbucks addict.
You don’t have to have one of those silly cards to get the price as marked either, which is already a plus to me! They do have a reward card for the gas station, but since I don’t live in the area, it’s not worth my time looking more into it.
The associates are just barely friendly though, but they aren’t rude either. I would say they are more indifferent than anything else. If the associates were more friendly, this location would get the 5^th star.

I like this store. Their wine and spirits department has a pretty good selection of wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages — along with various related supplies. All of their departments have a pretty good selection.
Just one problem that I’ve had both at this Hy-​Vee and another one in the Quad Cities as of late where the fuel savers discount for items weren’t taken off. if you’re buying things because you’re in the fuel savers club and there’s a sign that says something gets you a discount double check your receipt right after you receive it, so you can go to customer service and have them add that to your fuel savers account. Better yet, Hy-​Vee, make sure to either add the discounts to your systems or make sure to keep sinage up to date.

A key place for me while I worked on the Obama campaign in Dubuque. Often getting off work late at night, this Hy Vee’s ²⁴⁄₇ hours were clutch. I lost count of how many times I picked up some Hy Vee Chinese while they were restocking the shelves at night. The Chinese buffet during normal hours was also nice, although I usually ate too much and regretted it (not their fault for providing delicious food). They had a good selection of beer, wine and spirits as well.

I just got married at Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa. I live in the city of Chicago and I was surprised how hard it was to find bakery, florist, etc., especially one that met my city standards. Don’t mean to sound snotty, but that’s how it is, we have high expectations because there simply is the best of everything down here. After a few cake tastings and my inability to plan remotely, we decided to use Hy-​Vee for our cake, flowers, and catering for our pre-​wedding party and Saturday late-​night party. Impressed is an understatement. The staff, led by Liza, was helpful, attentive, and made sure that all details were covered. They worked within our budget, were timely, and provided really out of this world food. We had so many compliments on the food. A friend who loves beef sandwiches said it was the best she ever had. My husband, who loves atomic cake, had asked to have one made for our Friday night party. The bakery had never made an atomic cake before and instead of saying, that’s not in our repertoire, they outdid themselves. Not only did they search for an atomic cake recipe (something we were unaware at the time was unique to Chicago-​area, it is though!), they made the best one we ever had. Is there ever anything better than having one of «the best» of your favorites. I spent the night before my wedding in sugar bliss from that delicious cake. I still think about it!
The flowers, oh the flowers. They were absolutely beautiful. I worked with Illa, to really bring the pictures I sent her alive. She did a great job on the bouquets, centerpieces, and our table. Seriously I cannot wait to see the pictures because she did an absolutely magnificent job. She transformed the room. It was magnificent.
Finally, I must again tahnk Liza, who brilliantly coordinated all of the moving pieces. I did not have the ability to plan for such a party and wasn’t sure what to get. I relied on her expertise and she provided everything from cups, to garbage bags, all stuff I needed, but would’ve forgot to ask for. She was a god-​send and her help was so appreciated during the chaos of the wedding. Not only that, she was the sweetest woman, my husband and I wanted to invite her to the wedding we loved her so much!
Out of town brides, do not hesitate to use Hy-​Vee. I know, we have a gut reaction of grocery store, but please let your guard down, they will deliver the value you you are used to. Delicious, timely, awesome!

Forget Wal-​Mart — HyVee is poised to take over the world! HyVee Food, HyVee Liquor, HyVee Gas — what’s next? HyVee’s Secret? Don’t laugh — it could happen!
HyVee is the tops for selection and cleanliness in Dubuque, and if the checkout lanes even START to look congested, there’s always a mad rush to open more. If you’re on a budget, you can always find HyVee’s brand of anything — milk, butter, falafel — for less. The HyVee on Asbury — my friends dubbed it the «Enterprise» cuz it looks like a spaceship — has the freshest selection of produce. My only complaint: they don’t carry Lighthouse Jalapeño Ranch dressing. That is so lame. What gives?