'Years in the making': Wegmans in Lancaster now has an official opening date

Central Pennsylvania shoppers can circle Sept. 23 on their calendars. 

Wegmans Food Markets will open for the first time at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23, officials from the store said Tuesday. 

"With hiring and training well underway, we're thrilled to begin the countdown to Sept. 23," Jimmy Bellis, store manager, said. 

More:Hurricane, cancer & an attack couldn't keep this woman down, now she's serving sliders in York

The new store will employ 475 people in full- and part-time jobs. When open, the store will include indoor and outdoor seating for nearly 300 people, and will be the first Pennsylvania location with The Burger Bar - a family friendly restaurant with burgers, salads, sandwiches and milkshakes. 

Wegmans has created a buzz in Lancaster ever since plans for the store were announced in 2015. Currently, the nearest Wegmans locations are in Mechanicsburg and Hunt Valley, Md. 

More:Saving Yorktowne: Unlikely story of how York landed Hilton and why that's such a big deal

"This store is years in the making," Bellis said. "We're grateful to the Lancaster community for welcoming Wegmans with open arms and are eager to begin serving customers here."

The store is located at The Crossings at Conestoga Creek - on Harrisburg Pike just east of Route 30. It is part of several large projects along Lancaster's Route 30 corridor, including more than a dozen stores opening at the Shoppes at Belmont. 

Anthony J. Machcinski is the food reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Facebook, @ChinskiTweets on Twitter or email him at amachcinski@ydr.com.