The new Food Lion sits at the site of the old Dill’s Food City in Lavonia. Another Food Lion is planned to replace the burned out Dill’s Food City site in Royston.
LAVONIA, Ga. — Popcorn, prizes, and a ribbon-cutting will welcome shoppers to Lavonia’s new Food Lion on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Behind the celebration is a more personal milestone: a new chapter for the grocery store the Dilworth family built into part of the community.
The former Dill’s Food City will open under the Food Lion name following a 7:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday. Members of the Dilworth family plan to attend and are expected to help cut the ribbon, connecting the store’s past with its future.
Ties to the past
Food Lion says the acquisition builds on the Dilworth family’s 91-year grocery business legacy. For the family, the transition brings gratitude, mixed emotions, and reassurance from a conversation with Anderson Dilworth before his death in June.
Dilworth, whose father founded Dill’s Food City, knew about the potential sale and believed the timing was right, according to a letter the family wrote to employees in July.
“We were fortunate to share this opportunity with him before his passing,” the family wrote. “Knowing we were not getting any younger and seeing how quickly our children and grandchildren were growing up, he expressed that he believed the timing was right.”
His encouragement helped the family move forward with the sale, which also included a new beginning in Royston, where a Food Lion grocery store will be built on the site of another former Dill’s Food City. That store burned down in February 2024.
An opening with a movie theme
Wednesday’s celebration will give early arrivals something to enjoy while they wait for the doors to open.
Neighbors are invited to line up before the 7:45 a.m. ceremony. The first 100 customers in line will receive a mystery gift card valued up to $200 and a free reusable shopping bag.
Food Lion plans movie-themed activities, including an RV concession stand with popcorn, theater concessions, and a movie playing for customers. Food samples will be offered to those waiting outside before the ceremony and inside the store after the doors open.
The ribbon cutting will feature remarks from the store manager, local dignitaries, and representatives of Rainbow Food Pantry, the store’s Food Lion Feeds partner organization.
After opening day, the Lavonia Food Lion will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Old friends. New Offerings
Inside, shoppers will find a renovated store and familiar faces, according to store manager Barbara Sievenpiper, who has spent 36 years with Food Lion.
The renovated Lavonia store features prepared meals, fresh produce and meats, organic and plant-based options, in-store cut fruit, and a self-service wing and hot favorites bar. Shoppers can use traditional checkout or self-checkout lanes, with pickup and home delivery options also available.
Food Lion’s Local Goodness program will offer regional products sourced from growers and manufacturers.
The opening also brings support for Rainbow Food Pantry in Royston. Food Lion Feeds contributed $2,500 to the pantry — equivalent to 25,000 meals under Feeding America’s calculation. The pantry will regularly collect unsold, edible food from the store to distribute to people experiencing hunger.
“I’m so excited to help open our new Lavonia store and work alongside the familiar faces who have served this community for so long,” she said. “We look forward to continuing that tradition and becoming a trusted part of Lavonia for many years to come.”
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Dining and Cooking