Corner Pantry Re-opens on Winchester Drive With New Food, Focus on Catering

LAFAYETTE, La. — Hot boudin, chili dogs and Corner Pantry plate lunches are back in Lafayette. Corner Pantry Catering by Connie opened Monday at 203 Winchester Drive. The family behind the longtime Foreman Drive grocery runs it.

Owner Connie DuBose described opening-day turnout as wonderful and said the community has shown a lot of support.

“People have been driving by wondering when we’re going to open, and today was the big day,” she said.

The family’s announcement said the old grocery is “gone forever.” DuBose described the new venture as “a brand new LLC, a brand new business.”

As part of that, it has a new address off Congress Street.

What Lafayette Lunch Fans Need to Know

The menu includes hot plate lunches, hot boudin, chili, chili dogs, and burgers. Soups, gumbo, cold plates, and other cold deli items are also available, along with full catering.

Lunch runs Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Chili dogs and hot boudin start at 7:30 a.m.

The doors stay open until 4 p.m. for pickup of boudin, chili dogs, cold plates, lunches, soups, gumbo, and other cold deli items.

The shop sits in the former Domino’s Pizza space at 203 Winchester Drive, Lafayette, LA 70506. The family points customers to the spot between Albarado’s furniture and the Capital One bank off Congress Street.

Why Corner Pantry Started Over With a Catering Focus

Catering has always been her love, DuBose said.

“I love to please people by delivering a good product at a reasonable price,” she said, noting it was more than the costs on customers that drove the move. “The bills were getting very high at the other location. The building was aging.”

The new location is more affordable and fits what the business needs to budget for, she said. But, the grocery side of the old business is gone.

“We don’t have any groceries anymore,” DuBose said. “We don’t have any meat department, produce department.”

The business caters weddings of up to 400 people, she explained when talking about the new focus on catering. It also does showers, parties and work for the pharmaceutical industry, the oil field and political parties. It has catered parties for the Krewe of Triton’s king and queen this year and in past years.

Credit: Joe Cunningham/TSM

“We have 35 weddings, advanced bookings for the following year,” DuBose said.

Customers helped shape the plan, and the business adjusted to their needs. “Originally, this was only going to be catering,” said Cari Brattin, DuBose’s niece. People told the family how much they missed the food and wished they could still come and get it.

“If that’s what the community would like,” Brattin said, “maybe we try to accommodate that.”

DuBose said the family is excited about moving forward. “We work hard, and we’ve produced a good product,” she said, “and we hope it will all work for us and for the community.”

How Corner Pantry Got Here

The Foreman Drive store sat at the corner of Foreman and Dulles drives near Lafayette High School. The family’s farewell post counted 60 years in business, and the Corner Pantry name dates to the early 1970s.

Brattin managed the Foreman Drive store and is the granddaughter of the original owners. She said some customers have no transportation and walk to the store. Jimmy Credeur, a customer since the 1970s, said his family called the store his “second home”.

Management has said hot food and catering stayed profitable while grocery sales declined. That made the nearly 11,000-square-foot building hard to support. The grocery closed June 30.

Timeline for the Foreman Drive Store and the Move

Late 2025: The Lafayette Zoning Commission voted to deny a Grab-N-Geaux permit for fuel sales on the Foreman Drive site. The city council then deferred its decision.

Early 2026: The council approved the conditional use permit with added restrictions.

June 30, 2026: The Corner Pantry grocery closed.

Monday, Oct. 12, 2026: Corner Pantry Catering by Connie opened at 203 Winchester Drive.

What Happens Next for the Foreman Drive Site

The building is slated for demolition to make way for the Grab-N-Geaux. Renderings show six fuel pumps along Dulles Drive. Council members restricted the site to right-in and right-out movements onto Dulles to minimize traffic congestion.

A construction timeline has not been announced.

Quick Answers About the New Corner Pantry

Where is Corner Pantry Catering by Connie? 203 Winchester Drive, Lafayette, LA 70506, in the former Domino’s Pizza space off Congress Street.

When did it open? Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.

What are the hours? Lunch is Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Chili dogs and hot boudin start at 7:30 a.m., and the shop stays open until 4 p.m. for pickup.

Is it the same business as the old Corner Pantry grocery? The family and its favorites carry over. The family describes it as a completely separate business with a new LLC.

Why did Corner Pantry start a new business? DuBose said the bills at the Foreman Drive location were very high and the building was aging. The new location is more affordable.

What kind of catering does the business do? Weddings of up to 400 people, showers and parties, plus work for the pharmaceutical industry, the oil field and political parties, DuBose said.

Is there a drive-through? No drive-through is planned. A pickup-only window is under discussion.

How do I book catering? The family asks customers to message or call. DuBose said the business has 35 weddings booked in advance for the following year.

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