Lots of popular delicious food is headed to Rexburg this fall in the form of WinCo Foods and Olive Garden Restaurant.
To begin with, WinCo Foods announced on its Facebook page that it plans to build its new store at 350 E. Moody Road.
“We’re under construction to bring another employee-owned WinCo Foods in our home state of Idaho,” it said.
According to the Facebook page, the store will be open 24-7. It will also come with its own “hot pizza department.” It has stores in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Twin Falls, Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Nampa, Lewiston, Moscow and Coeur d’Alene. It also has shops throughout Utah, Oregon, and California.
An employee-owned company, the organization shares in that success via its “Employee Stock Ownership Plan” that it started 30 years ago, it reported on www.wincofoods.com.
“Participating in the ESOP program means employees are part owners of the company and benefit financially from a job well done,” it said. “In this way, there is a direct incentive for employees to work hard and to take pride in what they do. That is why our stores are cleaner, our prices are lower, and our smiles are bigger. Additionally, being employee-owned means WinCo Foods is owned by members of the local community.”
WinCo didn’t report how many employees it planned to hire in Rexburg but did state that employees qualify for its ownership plan once they’ve worked 500 hours during their first six months of employment. Workers will also need to be at least 18 years old and have worked 1,000 hours at WinCo every year in order to qualify for the program.
“WinCo’s ESOP never involves contributions from the employees; all contributions are entirely made by the company,” it said.
Its stock is appraised every year via an independent valuation, said the webpage.
“WinCo currently contributes 20% of an eligible employee’s compensation in stock annually,” it said.
Being an employee-owned company helps stabilize the community it serves.
“At WinCo Foods, being an employee owner means having a stable presence while building your future. Our employees enjoy industry competitive wages and the long-term investment that comes from company ownership,”
Next up is the $4 million Olive Garden restaurant to be built on University Boulevard, reports Idaho Realtor Cindi Homer.
Construction starts November 2, she said on her Facebook Page.
“At Olive Garden, we know that life is better together, and everyone is happiest when they’re with family,” Olive Garden said on its webpage www.olivegarden.com. “From never ending servings of our freshly baked bread sticks and iconic garden salad, to our homemade soups and sauces, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”
The company boasts about 900 restaurants nationally. It also reports creating its “Harvest Program” to help feed the hungry throughout the United States.
“(It’s) where all restaurants gather wholesome, surplus food every day and carefully prepare it for weekly donations to a local non-profit organization,” it stated.
Every Olive Garden community is considered an extension of the company’s family, the company said.
“That’s why we are committed to supporting these communities in the fight against hunger,” it said. “We’re also long-term partners with Feeding America®, and since 2017, the Darden Foundation, the charitable arm of our parent company, has donated more than $16.3 million on behalf of our family of restaurants to support Feeding America member food banks across all 50 states.”
Thanks to its Darden Foundation, Penske Truck Leasing and Lineage Logistics partnership, nearly 40 Feeding America food banks in 35 parts of the United States have been given a 26-foot refrigerated box truck to help with transportation needs. As a result, 12,000 pounds of food can be transported. The Darden Foundation has donated $6.5 million to the cause.
“As a member of the Darden family of restaurants, Olive Garden’s dedication to serving our local communities supports Darden’s culture of giving back and enhancing the quality of life in the communities where we do business,” it said.
Both companies encouraged Upper Valley residents to follow them on their social media pages or webpages for updates on construction and when the facilities will be opening.