Drive-thru grocery store opens in South Carolina
OPIE Drive-Thru Grocery is a new, first-of-its-kind, high-tech drive-thru grocery store that opened its flagship location in Mount Pleasant, S.C. on Tuesday. The Mount Pleasant store is the first of three planned locations in the Charleston area.
OPIE provides customers with the ability to pick up groceries without ever leaving the car. Customers do not have to schedule ahead, and there are no fees or order minimums. They can download the app and order in-car; the order is brought out minutes later. For smaller "express orders" customers can order directly with the clerks in the drive-thru lane. Shoppers can also order online at OPIEStores.com.
“We’re meeting consumers where they are – in their cars, picking up kids, and going to work. Convenience is hard to schedule! That’s why we’re open 24/7 and don't require customers to schedule a pick-up time. Life is spontaneous, and our service responds to that," says Scott Thomas, OPIE Charleston director. Thomas came to the company from Chick-fil-A, where he helped launch over a dozen new stores with the chain known for its ultra-fast drive-thru.
This convenience grocery store is open 24 hours and features thousands of items, offering almost every category you would expect to find in a traditional grocery store, including fresh meats, produce and bakery items. However, unlike traditional convenience stores, OPIE has a substantial organic and natural selection. The store footprint is small. At 3,000 sq. ft., it’s similar to the size of a fast-food restaurant.
OPIE currently has four additional stores planned and all in the Charleston area, but the list of investors wanting to open their own OPIE stores has grown to over 100.
OPIE Co-Founder Tyler Sones says their focus is on perfecting the high-tech close-to-consumer “dark store” concept. “Over 70 million Americans go through a drive-thru every day. This is a profitable way to bring real convenience to grocery. So far our biggest fans are busy parents and seniors.”
The Mount Pleasant location is the first of three planned in the Charleston area, with the next grocery station planned for Summerville, SC.
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