This Is The Worst Chain Grocery Store In NYC

NEW YORK CITY — The votes are in and we have a winner for the worst chain grocery store in New York City.

Patch asked you to pick which of four places — Key Foods, Gristedes, Met Foodmarkets or C-Town — was the most dusty and aggravating chain grocery store in all the five boroughs.

Patch readers from across the city answered the call and one store walked away with the winning title – and almost 40 percent of the vote.

"Gristedes (A/K/A 'The Grimey Gristle,') ... has to win hands-down," wrote one Patch reader, who opined of expired dairy products, rude staff and claustrophobic aisles.

"I've even thrown out fruit and vegetables that I'd bought, which became inedible after one day," wrote another. "Unacceptable!"

C-Town came in second with 29 percent of the vote, Key Food came in third with 19 percent and Met Foodmarket snagged only 13 percent.

This victory means Gristedes will face off against Food Bazaar and Dean & Deluca — which you named the worst discount grocery store and the worst pricey grocery store — in Patch's contest to name the worst grocery store in all of the city.

We'll hold one more subcategory contest, then pit the winners against each other for the chance to win the title of Worst Grocery store in NYC.

Next week, we're asking you to decide which online grocery store most make you want to throw your computer out the window.

More info on that challenge to come Monday, so stay tuned.

Photos courtesy of GoogleMaps/Sept. 2017