Rouses Markets will hold a grand opening ceremony Aug. 16 for its new 60,000-square-foot store at 2233 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Houma, Louisiana.
The Houma store replaces the company’s “superstore,” which was built in 1989. It also marks the family’s fourth market at or near this location, which was the site of their first, Ciro’s, opened in 1960 by Anthony J. Rouse Sr. and Ciro di Marco.
“Ciro’s laid the foundation for our company today,” said CEO Donny Rouse, a third-generation family member.
“It was a 7,000-square-foot store, with my grandfather, great uncle and only two other employees running the show. My father, Donald Rouse, joined the company when he was old enough, bagging groceries and rounding up carts out front.”
In celebration of the site’s rich history, the store has a wall featuring vintage photography and advertising from Ciro’s and the early era of Rouses.
The Schriever, Louisiana-based grocer also is celebrating 100 years of City Produce in 2023. The big green produce truck will be on display for the grand opening.
“City Produce is the first company my family started after arriving in America from Sardinia,” Rouse said. “My great grandfather, J.P. Rouse, began shipping produce out of Thibodaux to markets in 1923.”
The main highlight of the new store is the Houma da Chicken drive-thru, where customers can pick up Rouses’ fried chicken, which is double-battered and made fresh daily using a family recipe that goes back three generations.
“Everyone keeps asking me about the drive-thru,” Rouse said. “You never know who will be working the drive-thru window during our grand opening.”
The Rouses’ Houma store will also feature a deli department that serves Boar’s Head products. Additional store highlights include:
- Sushi, poke bowls and a Mongolian grill with rice bowls and teriyaki;
- Ready-to-eat and/or -heat options;
- A butcher shop with USDA Prime Angus Beef and USDA Choice Angus Beef, and a custom humidity- and temperature-controlled dry-aged beef locker;
- Bakery with fresh popped popcorn and cotton candy;
- Post office;
- Designated curbside pickup area; and
- The largest beer, wine and spirits selection in Houma.
A flag raising, check presentations to area charities and ribbon cutting are scheduled for 8 a.m. Aug. 16. The first 100 customers will get a mystery gift card and free grocery items.
The official supermarket of the New Orleans Saints, Rouses has been voted the “Best Grocery Store” by The Houma Courier and Daily Comet year after year.
It ranks among the top private companies and largest employers along the Gulf Coast, with more than 7,000 workers. Rouses has grown to operate 63 stores across three states, with additional locations under construction, such as in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Read more independent store news from The Shelby Report.
