Mount Pleasant Drive-Thru Grocery Chain Opening New Location in Fort Mill

OPIE Drive-Thru Grocery will launch its second spot at Arden Mills shopping center in Fort Mill at 5529 Arden Mill Drive. The Mount Pleasant company turned in plans to town officials.

The Fort Mill spot will feature an in-store bakery. Customers can walk inside to shop. This shifts away from the company's first location, which runs as drive-thru only.

Designer Lindsey Mayes of 993 Architecture in York confirmed the bakery piece. No launch date has been set.

OPIE started its Mount Pleasant location in fall 2021 at 1735 U.S. Highway 17. Shoppers there tap an app to place orders, then workers bring items to cars in the lot.

The service runs all day, every day. A robot delivery option arrived a few years after opening, pushing past what human drivers could do.

The Mount Pleasant site has run for four years without letting customers through the doors. Workers handle all orders for pickup and delivery to certain zones.

The idea builds on grocery shopping patterns that grew during the pandemic. Instacart and other services made home delivery common, but OPIE pushed this method further with drive-thru service.

Arden Mills represents a fresh development in Fort Mill. Construction continues at the shopping center.

The expansion comes as the company tries different service options. The original location depends on app orders and curbside pickup, but the Fort Mill store will blend drive-thru service with walk-in access for baked goods.

The robot delivery vehicle, called OP-D2, handles short trips near the Mount Pleasant store on U.S. Highway 17. Human drivers also deliver groceries in East Cooper.

Plans for the Fort Mill location have been filed with town officials, according to Charlotte Stories. The company has not shared details on staffing or hours for the new site.