One of the things that arguably sets Publix apart from discount grocers such as Aldi is that it has separate meat, deli, and bakery departments. Most Publix stores also contain a designated meat counter where you can walk up to the butcher and ask for specific cuts of meat.
However, some social media as well as a local publication have discussed Publix eliminating the meat counter in some markets. Please note that I am not referring to the meat department. I am referring to a designated meat counter.
For example, in March of 2023, The Lakeland Ledger visited three Publix stores in the Orlando area and found that none had a designated butcher counter, including a high-volume store in Lake Mary.
And a Nextdoor post by a Publix shopper in late September of 2023 announced the Brooker Creek location had eliminated the meat counter.
Some who responded to the post said that they’d experienced the same thing at the Publix in the Caladesi Shopping Center in Dunedin.
On another forum, a Naples customer wrote in the summer of 2022 that his Publix was in the process of shutting down its meat counter. The customer wrote, in part:
“When I moved to Naples…Publix was one of many grocery stores with a full-service meat counter. Fast forward 5 years and…Publix, they are in the process of shutting down (the) full-service meat counter. I never purchase steak, pork chops, pork steaks, etc. from a self-serve. I want to look at what I am purchasing and I want a certain size. Within the past two weeks, Publix has closed their full-service meat counters.”
A Possible Workaround If You Are Affected: I could find no information about Publix changing any policy regarding their meat counters, and so far, I could only find commentary from a few customers and The Lakeland Ledger.
Therefore, I suspect that many Floridians have not seen this change.
However, in a social media thread where one person lamented that his Publix had eliminated the “full-service butcher counter” in his store, another commented and offered the following tips, in part:
“I’ve dealt with this transition before, and I want to make a few points…The meat is still prepared exactly how the full-service case was – in the store and cut daily…Are you aware that you can place a call ahead of time to the store and ask for whatever cut you like then arrive and pick it up?”
So if you are looking for specific cuts of meat and your Publix has eliminated the meat counter, try giving the store a call.