Dive Brief:
- Walmart expanded its in-store food vendor offerings with the opening of Bambu, a Vietnamese drink brand, on Jan. 14 inside one of its Illinois stores, according to a Monday press release.
- The menu at the store-within-a-store location includes smoothies, boba teas, traditional Vietnamese coffee and freshly made mochi-style waffles, per the announcement.
- Walmart is continuing to grow its roster of in-store restaurants to heighten and differentiate its in-store experience.
Dive Insight:
Walmart announced a flurry of fast-casual chain partnerships in 2024, and while the momentum seemed to die down in 2025, this tie-up with Bambu indicates the retailer is still eyeing store-within-a-store foodservice opportunities.
Bambu operates inside Walmart’s store in Batavia, Illinois, at 801 N. Randall Rd. and is open to customers seven days a week during the retailer’s store hours, according to the press release.
“This opening reflects our focus on bringing Bambu directly to guests in their daily routines,” said Bambu CEO Marc Geman in a statement. “Leasing space inside Walmart allows us to introduce our brand’s offerings to customers in Batavia.” The announcement added that the store-within-a-store format also makes the drink company’s menu more accessible while maintaining quality, presentation and customer experience.
The opening marks the first in-store Walmart location for Bambu, which has nearly 60 locations across nearly 20 states as well as in Canada and the Philippines. The press release did not indicate if more Bambu locations are planned within Walmart’s footprint.
This partnership is the latest in Walmart’s ongoing efforts to bolster its foodservice offerings with fast-casual restaurants. In March 2025, the company announced a partnership with Nozzleman Pizza to open more than a dozen store-within-a-store concept pizza restaurants. In recent years, Walmart has also started selling hoagies, hot dogs and poke inside several of its stores through partnerships with quick-service restaurants.
