The new Mac Mart is hard to miss on Rittenhouse Place in Ardmore. The Mac ‘n Cheesery hopes local families think of them for tasty, filling and affordable takeout dinners.
What’s WAY better than Kraft, MUCH better than Annie’s, and LIKELY better than homemade? The gourmet mac ‘n cheese at the new Mac Mart in Ardmore.
Now open in a blaze of yellow glory on Rittenhouse Place, Mac Mart is all mac ‘n cheese all the time and in myriad iterations – for eat-in, take out and catering.
Every option starts with the Original Mac: elbow noodles (regular or gluten-free) blended with a creamy blend of seven cheeses made onsite daily in a 44-quart pot. Totally tubular, right? Which seven cheeses? They won’t spill but do encourage guessing.
Order your Mac as a 16 oz. “classic” topped with potato chip “bread crumbs” or have it slathered with assorted proteins, veggies, drizzles, dips, dollops and crunches.
Philly’s #1 best seller – there’s a Mac Mart in Rittenhouse – is the “In The Buff”: Original Mac topped with buffalo chicken, ranch dressing and potato chip panko crunch.
Others that caught our eye: “Spin ’n Dip” with creamy spinach-and-artichoke dip; BBQ (chicken) in a Bowl; Crabby Mac with jumbo lump crabmeat & cheese dip; Barclay Basil Pesto Chicken; “Heart Attack” with bacon and caramelized onions; and for plainer Janes: The Margherita (diced tomato, basil and crunch).
Bowls are 16 oz. each – easily serving two – and are $9.99 to $12.99, depending on toppings.
Kids’ bowls are 8 to 10 oz. and $8.99.
There’s a flat-top grill and a fryer so Ardmore can also offer grilled Macs on Texas toast, chicken tenders, tater tots, and… wait for it … cheesesteak mac ’n cheese.
This is the first local franchise for Mac Mart, which started as a campus food truck at Drexel. in 2013 and became a standalone in Rittenhouse in 2017. The only other franchisee is near the Lehigh campus.
Mac Mart Ardmore’s owners are first-time entrepreneurs from Havertown: Jackie Falcone, a biology teacher at Springfield High School, and her husband, Kevin, who helped Mac Mart’s founders jump from a popular food truck to a standalone store in Center City. Their sons are playing in the rear.
“We always wanted to open a business,” says franchisee Jackie Falcone. “Every step of the way we’ve said, ‘If it doesn’t work out, at least we tried.’”
The couple looked from Bryn Mawr to Narberth and landed on Ardmore for its neighborhood feel and its proximity to the mac ‘n cheese cravings on five nearby college campuses.
They’re also counting on catering birthday parties and such. Mac Mart offers trays in two sizes along with customized build-your-own mac ‘n cheese bars with DIY toppings, drizzles, dips and crunches.
Allison Hurley decides which flights of mac ’n cheese she’d like to taste before placing a catering order for a birthday party. Behind the counter are Mac Mart Ardmore employees Lily Rose and Brianna Griffin.
The Falcones are leasing 900 sq. ft. total across two storefronts: the former home of Mr. Korea (now operating down the block) and the former sushi spot, Jason’s Toridasu.
One room is for ordering and pickup; the other has seven tables for dining in.
The overall vibe is grab-your-shades sunny because, as Jackie Falcone explains: “You can’t be sad when you’re eating mac and cheese!”
Mac Mart, 38-40 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore, 445-787-4438, is open Tues. to Thurs. 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 to 8, Sun. 11 to 6. Closed Mondays. Advance order by phone or place catering orders by email: [email protected]. Online ordering and delivery services coming soon. Ask about special discounts for Thanksgiving trays and “green” orders on Eagles Sundays by advance order only.
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