Founded by Michael J. Cullen on August 4, 1930, the company operated 27 locations across Long Island as of 2021[update].

King Kullen was founded by Michael J. Cullen, a former Kroger[2] employee who wanted to design a more modern supermarket.

He described what he envisioned as "monstrous stores, size of some to be about forty feet wide and hundred and thirty to a hundred and sixty feet deep, and they ought to be located one to three blocks off the high rent district with plenty of parking space, and some to be operated as a semi-self-service store – twenty percent service and eighty percent self-service.

After Cullen's letter went unanswered, he resigned and moved with his wife, Nan, and their children to Long Island, to pursue the concept.

In the 1950s, conveyor belts, air conditioning, automatically opening exterior doors, tile floors (easier to clean than wood), and in-store music systems were introduced.

In 1966, King Kullen purchased the nine-store Blue Jay Markets, a Suffolk County-based grocery chain.

During the 1980s, former New York City Councilman Jack Muratori served as a King Kullen board member.

[12] On June 10, 2020, it was announced that the acquisition had been terminated and that King Kullen would remain independent due to "unforeseen changes in the marketplace.

In May 2000, King Kullen moved its corporate headquarters again to a three-story building at 185 Central Avenue, Bethpage, New York.