An all-curbside supermarket without the glitches

While some people love strolling the food store aisles, others hate it.

• For that latter group, entrepreneur Mike Sayles launched Fresh Street, a new app-driven supermarket that's all curbside, all the time.

Why it matters: Some folks got really into curbside groceries during the pandemic, but drawbacks like weird substitutions and fees make it hard to rely on.

Details: The store offers more than 5,000 products, including organic, local and international foods, from fish sauce and miso to oat milk and Milk & Honey granola.

How it works: Without in-store shoppers randomly grabbing stuff, Sayles says Fresh Street can keep track of inventory in real time and only offer what's in stock — thus no last-minute substitutions.

• He says he keeps prices low by operating a warehouse instead of a snazzy customer-facing store.
• And by using data to identify the most popular items, the store can make the most of its space in a former Lincolnwood Dress Barn store.

The intrigue: The business model is centered around families with a car but not much time; it's not about competing with urban delivery services like Getir or Gopuff.

What they're saying: "Once you have kids … and you’re running around to soccer practice, ballet, etc., grocery shopping becomes much more of a chore than an experiential treat," Sayles tells Axios.

• "We want to offer these families a seamless experience and broad enough assortment that they should never need to go inside a grocery store."