FOOD NEWS
Here's How Publix Got Its Name
By Stacie Adams
For shoppers living in the southeastern portion of the U.S., Publix is not merely a grocery store, it's an institution, which got its name in an unpredicted way.
Many believe the name had something to do with the founder George Jenkins and his desire to create a grocery store that focused on the needs of the public.
However, it appears the name was actually inspired by another business founded by Adolph Zukor in the early 1900s: Publix Theatres Corporation.
Publix Theatres Corporation managed a slew of movie theaters throughout Florida but faced a string of bad luck around the same period that the first Publix location was opened.
Upon opening his first store in 1930 in Winter Haven, Florida, Jenkins claimed he "liked the sound of the name" of Publix Theatres, so he borrowed it for his new enterprise.