TAHOE CITY, Calif. — With performances by the Truckee High School cheerleaders and jazz combo, Safeway celebrated the grand opening of its new Tahoe City store on Oct. 16. The new location, at 100 W. River Road, replaces the company’s former store on N Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

The new store features a deli department offering freshly prepared meals and ready-to-serve options, a full-service butcher block with fresh-cut meats prepared daily, and a signature bakery with pastries, bread, cookies, and cakes for special occasions. Customers will also find a floral department with fresh flowers, plants, and home décor, and in-store floral designers available for custom arrangements.

Additional amenities include an in-store Starbucks serving specialty beverages and Safeway’s own brands line, offering high-quality food and non-food products.

Store Director Alishia Martinez-Cox, who was raised in Lake Tahoe, has worked for Safeway for more than 15 years, moving through multiple departments before taking on a leadership role. During the ceremony, Martinez-Cox took the podium to introduce her management team and thank them for their support.

“I shopped in this store, in every store that it could be,” Martinez-Cox said. “I am so honored to be store director for this community and for the town that I grew up in.”

The store will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Customers can use Drive Up & Go to order online and pick up groceries curbside or have them delivered directly to their doorsteps through Safeway’s delivery service.

“This new location further solidifies our commitment to invest in the communities we serve and bring people together around the joys of food,” said Karl Schroeder, Safeway Division President. “We look forward to serving guests and becoming a trusted destination for all their grocery needs.”

The inauguration ceremony concluded with a $5,000 donation to the Sierra Community House, accepted by Patrick Kratzer.

“These $5,000 will fund our food rescue program, which serves not only this Safeway location but every grocery store in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee for about two months,” Kratzer said. “It will equate to about 30,000 pounds of food that we’ll divert to community members who need it most.”