Employees and customers at Wegmans on Tilghman Street, Allentown, joined in the Wegmans cheer at the opening Thursday morning of the new Market Cafe.

The grocery store, which was built in 1998, is undergoing renovations and just completed a 15,000-square-foot addition with more than 200 seats on the main floor, including the new Timber Room, which features a stone fireplace. The beer section has expanded from 700 offerings to 1,200.

Other parts of Wegmans are still undergoing renovation.

• In late April, a new outdoor patio with seating for 40 will open, with a fireplace and pergola for dining al fresco.
• Opening in late spring will be The Pub, a 130-seat, full-service restaurant and bar. 
• Combined indoor, outdoor and Pub seating will total nearly 400, more than doubling the number of seats currently available.
• By October, virtually every area and department in the store will have been upgraded and remodeled, including the parking lot, the addition of checkout registers and remodeled restrooms.
• 50 jobs (part-time and full-time) will have been added at the Tilghman Street store, which employs more than 700 today, and brings the size of the store to 123,000 square feet.
   
  

The new seating area replaces the store’s mezzanine café, which will be renovated and available in the future to reserve for private parties or business meetings.