The convenience channel has its share of independent retailers who are turnaround pros. They see a local iconic business that lost its way with performance and set out to change the narrative.
Often, that means they acquire the location and implement new fixer-upper strategies that had been lacking.
With time on his hands, local Lafayette, Louisiana, grocer and restaurant veteran Charlie Shank saw an opportunity too good to pass up. In February 2024, Shank acquired Champagne’s Grocery, a local store with a solid reputation that had fallen on harder times.
Shank’s mother, who is in her 90s, encouraged him to buy Champagne’s Grocery, he said of the store that was launched in 1947 under different ownership.
“I have a long history in foodservice and grocery, which began with my family-owned grocery store for 45 years, where I worked in high school,” Shank said.
“After we sold it in 2011, I opened a small seafood space and eventually expanded it to be a comprehensive restaurant,” Shank said. “But in 2022, I lost my lease and began looking for what’s next.”
“Next” became Charlie’s Saint Street Grocery and Deli, the former Champagne’s Grocery. After eventually convincing the owner to sell the store that’s about 135 miles west of New Orleans, Shank made upgrades to the 2,000-square-foot store, blending contemporary touches while retaining vestiges of the store’s past.
The store traces back to the 1940s, Shank said, and had had at least two other proprietors.
“The store never closed down at any point since the beginning 85 years ago,” he said. “It was actually regarded as Lot No. 1 in this neighborhood.”
‘Vibe of the store is cool’
There are eight employees, all of whom live in the local Saint Street neighborhood, said Shank, who’s pushing 60 years old.
“The vibe of the store is cool, with a lot of diverse people,” he said. “It’s a gathering spot for locals who hang out as long as they want. Plus, we have great food.”
The store, which offers no fountain drinks and has Community Coffee dispensed via airpot, for years has been known more for its food, starting with its iconic chili dogs. When Shank assumed control, he was able to keep the recipe and continued offering them. Shank is armed with years of experience operating a seafood restaurant himself, so he added several of his own signature specialties to the menu.
Continue reading for a conversation with Shank about his two-year-plus experience owning the location in the Saint Street neighborhood of Lafayette, one that blends longtime locals with students and faculty from nearby University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Q: You opted not to change the store’s menu options. What was your thinking about that?
A: When people buy stores or restaurants, they change certain aspects of the store and only lose loyal customers. The previous owner offered the same menu for 27 years, so we continued with that menu to a large degree but added our own varieties. The chili dogs were Champagne’s specialty, so we continued that—and now sell about 1,000 chili dogs a month. We were fortunate to retain that popular, original chili recipe. We boil the franks and use no special bun. The chili is a meat base.
Q: How elaborate is the food preparation process.
A: It’s all done by my wife, Kathryn—we have no line chefs or other food preparers. Kathryn didn’t attend culinary school, so all the magic comes from the heart. She cooks on-site—it’s a small but efficient kitchen.
Q: The menu is marked by a precise rotation cycle while certain items are available daily. Can you elaborate?
A: Available seven days a week are Poor Boys, roast beef and chili dogs. Burgers are served exclusively on Thursdays. Our patties are made with fresh ground beef and topped with a yeast bun from a bakery down the road. It’s a true homemade burger. We often sell out of our plate lunches, especially meatball stew, which is served on Mondays. While the store serves lunch until 1:30 p.m., the meatball stew is typically gone shortly after noon. Tuesdays are smothered pork chops, smothered sausage or meatloaf plate lunches. Plate lunches retail for $10.49 with one side and $10.99 for two sides. You can’t beat my prices. I could charge more and give more stuff, but some people can’t afford it.
Q: Who do you use as your primary wholesale distributor?
A: Church Point Wholesale (Church Point, Louisiana) is our exclusive partner—except for the meat that we source locally. Church Point takes care of all the mom-and-pop stores around here. They take care of all our needs far better than larger wholesalers can.
Q: Do you worry much about local competition—be it convenience or restaurants?
A: No really—where we’re located, we’re on an “island,” so to speak. The closest convenience is a Circle K, but I don’t think of them as competition—starting with the fact they don’t offer the caliber of food that we do. And other restaurants don’t quite have the unique food items that we carry.
Q: Do you have a specific plan for the future, be it expanding the store through remodeling or simply an exit strategy?
A: I have not thought that far ahead, other than the fact this store will be my last retail endeavor. It took me some time to convince the former owner to sell, so I’m still kind of in the discovery stage of owning Charlie’s Saint Street Grocery and Deli.
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