This counts as the second installment in my effort to pay attention to what’s going on with the nationwide or region-wide chains that have locations in Chatham County. This week, we’ll look at Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods and (surprise) San Felipe Mexican Restaurant.
Food Lion
Food Lion serves as one of the major grocery shopping players in Chatham County, with locations on East Street in Pittsboro and Eleventh Street (also U.S. Hwy. 64) in Siler City.
The chain of more than 1,000 stores in 10 states, based in Salisbury, about 70 miles from Siler City, has installed plexiglass panels at registers in all its stores, and the company has announced plans to hire around 6,000 new employees during the pandemic. Additionally, on March 30, Food Lion instituted a special hour-long time from 7-8 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays “for customers over the age of 60 and those identified as high risk for severe illness by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” according to a statement from Food Lion President Meg Ham.
“We continue to closely monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on the communities in which we serve,” Ham said. “For all of us at Food Lion, the well-being of our customers and associates is our top priority.”
Harris Teeter
The Matthews-based grocery chain that operates stores in seven states and D.C. — including a location off of U.S. Hwy. 15-501 in northeast Chatham near Polk’s Landing — announced late last month it was planning to hire more than 5,000 workers for retail and distribution efforts “as the high demand for essential food and household products continues.” Additionally, on April 2, the company said it was paying its hourly workers in retail, distribution and corporate office a “Hero Bonus” of $2 above their standard base pay for hours worked April 1-21. That same press release stated that, among other efforts, Harris Teeter was “providing access to mental health services and other benefits to support associates’ mental and physical well-being during this stressful time.”
“Harris Teeter’s most urgent priority is to provide a safe environment for our valued associates and our shoppers,” said Danna Robinson, Harris Teeter’s communication manager. “We’re taking several precautions to protect our shoppers and our Harris Teeter heroes who are working tirelessly to keep our stores open, clean and replenished.”
Lowes Foods
Boasting a location off of U.S. Hwy. 15-501 in northeast Chatham, just up the road from Harris Teeter, Lowes is not as active on its website’s news release page as its grocery store brethren, but its social media feeds, particularly Twitter (@LowesFoods) has been a way to see how the chain is responding to COVID-19. Store hours were adjusted to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. — with special shopping hours for seniors and those at-risk from 7-8 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays — and hiring more part-time employees. One March 29 tweet was specifically aimed at “many of you (who) might be out of work due to the closing of certain establishments.”
San Felipe Mexican Restaurant
Shifting to the restaurant business, did you know San Felipe Mexican Restaurant was a chain? There are two locations each in Sanford, my hometown, and Southport, and other spots in Leland, Shallotte, Asheboro and Aberdeen, along with its Pittsboro and Siler City locations.
The restaurant’s website has special announcements for its Piedmont and Coastal locations. Perhaps obviously, both of Chatham’s spots are in the Piedmont group. The restaurant has begun conducting delivery through DoorDash at certain locations — but neither Chatham location showed up when I typed in our office addresses in Pittsboro and Siler City.
“We apologize for any inconvenience and can’t wait to reopen to serve you margaritas and bring you your food again,” the website states. “We ask for your patience and support and an extra smile for our staff as we all fight through this challenging time.”
Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.