Lafayette, Indiana, June 10, 2024 – By the end of 2024, Lafayette will see the opening of a Leo’s Market and Eatery along South Street, offering an array of fresh meal options and groceries alongside the convenience of a gas station.
According to building permit reports filed with the city of Lafayette, the market and gas station will cost roughly $5 million to construct.
Tiffany Cring, director of marketing for Leo’s Market and Eatery, said the opening of the 7,100 square feet Lafayette location, which is to be built at 3431 South St., will be the first location for the group outside of the Greater Indianapolis area. The company’s goal is to open the new store by the end of November, Cring said, given no delays occur during construction.
Opening their first location in Greenfield in 2019, Leo’s Market and Eatery was founded by siblings Keith White & Stephanie White-Longworth, previous owners of GasAmerica Services before its sale to Marathon. The siblings named their new food and fuel business after their late father, Richard Leo White.
Cring said Leo’s Market and Eatery is completely focused a customer convenience, offering freshly made single and family size meals alongside basic groceries competitively priced to major chain grocery stores. With an executive chef on staff, Cring said their menu’s are constructed and change quarterly with dishes and pastries made freshly in house.
While Leo’s Market and Eatery also sells gas, Cring said that isn’t the sole focus of the business, but rather an additional convenience offered to customers, alongside an extensive rewards program and monthly customer events.
“Once people get into the store, they can’t believe how much stuff we have to offer in here,” Cring said. “Leo’s really is like a one-stop-shop.”
One of the things Leo’s Market and Eatery prides itself on, Cring said, is building connections in their communities, offering fundraising opportunities and giving back to local nonprofits and area schools.
“We already feel so welcomed by the community and are very excited to expand our footprint in such an amazing area,” Cring said.
Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal and Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ellison_writes.