Chandler, prepare for Late Night Madness at Seafood City
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A Late Night Madness event at a Seafood City in North Hills, California. Photo: Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Fans of Arizona's newly opened Seafood City in Chandler haven't yet received the full experience the Filipino grocery chain has to offer: Late Night Madness.
Why it matters: The California-based franchise periodically extends its hours to host boisterous community parties with local DJs and street food — and the Chandler store is expected to host its first such event this fall.
Catch up quick: The Chandler location of Seafood City opened on July 30, offering customers 66,000 square feet of food products from the Philippines and other Asian countries, plus a full wet market and a 10,000-square-foot food hall.
- The food hall space can be used to host events, and Seafood City has a variety in mind, including ping-pong tournaments, live music and a board game night planned for this weekend.
The marquee event is Late Night Madness, at which "attendees eat Filipino street food, buy merch and, of course, dance the night away to live DJ sets," per the San Francisco Standard.
- Seafood City spokesperson Patricia Francisco tells Axios that the marketing team dreamed up the event a year ago when it opened its store in Daly City, California.
- The events quickly became a viral sensation, and Seafood City has since hosted Late Night Madness events at other locations.
What they're saying: "People were so comfortable," Francisco tells Axios. "They felt a sense of home, and they started boasting about it themselves organically. We just saw that there was opportunity to continue doing it and showcasing it in other locations."
What to expect: Francisco says Seafood City is tentatively planning to host the Chandler store's first Late Night Madness in October, which is Filipino American History Month.
- Store hours will be extended to midnight.
- Seafood City will partner with local artists and DJs, which the chain is "still doing our homework" on.
- There'll be lots of Filipino street food, which Francisco says captures the feeling of the Philippines, "with loud music" making it "a very, like, lively area to be."
The bottom line: While the events already planned by Seafood City make it much more than a grocery store, the Chandler location won't have fully arrived until the first Late Night Madness event kicks off.