ROBINSON, Pa. - The cozy dining room overlooks the produce aisle at a local Shop 'n Save. Grocery carts are parked instead of strollers by the tables. Grocery store as dining destination has arrived en force, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

With the right location, supermarkets find offering restaurant-quality food during the morning, afternoon and evening dayparts can be good business. "It's not entirely new, but like prepared foods in general, I think it's another situation where retailers are really figuring out some ways to do food service right and take it to new levels," said Jenny Anderson with Technomic.

Whole Foods Market is credited by analysts as having started the trend in earnest with its extensive line of prepared foods and counters and table areas inside stores for eating. Some grocers even have live bands or televisions to create a more café-type atmosphere.

"As they've done this, they've increasingly been taking their cues from restaurants in recent years, so the lines between restaurant and supermarket have become increasingly blurred," said Anderson.

Giant Eagle has been in the restaurant-grocery business for a few years, with some locations offering stations of tandoori chicken or pulled pork, along with a glass of wine. The chain has hired Lettuce Entertain You to advise the supermarket on how to run a restaurant inside their stores.

Supermarket restaurants have a distinct advantage over traditional dining establishments in that running out of mushrooms or other ingredients is not as likely with an entire grocery store at their disposal.