Third generation keeps L&N running on track

From its modest beginning, L&N Food Store in Thibodaux has emerged 61 years later as a successful independent grocery store.

L&N co-owner Nelson Verdun Jr. credits his grandfather, Fred Verdun, with the store’s inception.

A local butcher, Fred Verdun ran a shop on Lafourche Drive in the 1940s. When his sons Louis and Nelson, Nelson Jr.’s father, began looking for work, Fred suggested the two go into business for themselves.

For Louis, a soldier in World War II, and his younger brother Nelson, it made perfect sense.

“My grandfather told them to put a line of groceries in the meat market and see how well they would sell,” he said. “He told them if it didn’t work, then they could try something else.”

That’s when L&N Food Store made its debut, taking the name from Louis and Nelson’s initials.

Nelson Jr. believed that for his father and uncle, owning a grocery store was not as much about filling a niche in the business community. Rather, it was more about becoming independent.

As business grew, the Verduns were able to expand the store. L&N Food Store remained mainly a meat market, with the basic household groceries, but the square footage was larger to accommodate customers.

“It was a very gradual process,” Nelson Jr. said. “Everything was word of mouth back then. My father and uncle gained one customer at a time.”

Fred Verdun’s meat market was a household name in Thibodaux, and the boys just wanted their slice of the pie.

By the mid-1960s, Louis was ready for retirement. Nelson became the sole proprietor of the independent grocery store. His sons, Nelson Jr. and Barry, came onboard as managers shortly after.

For Nelson Jr. and Barry, the transition into management was easy. Afternoons spent helping at the store made the transition to full-time grocer easier, Nelson Jr. said.

“I had just graduated college,” he said. “I came home to manage the store with my dad. My brother followed sometime after I did. I mean, we grew up stocking shelves so it was natural that we came aboard to help run the store.”

Nelson Sr. retired in the late-1990s, leaving the business to his sons. Nelson Jr. runs the grocery side and Barry oversees the meat market.

Nelson Jr., who describes himself as being semi-retired, leaves the day-to-day operations to store manager Ruffin Robichaux.

“Ruffin has been with us for a long time and he is just like family,” the co-owner said. “When we are not there, we know the store is in good hands.”

Little has changed at L&N Food Store, beyond the expanded grocery options to choose from and a lot more space in which to maneuver.

The store’s façade was reconstructed to better suit the times. And in 1952, the Verdun brothers tore down the original wooden building that housed the store and replace it with a block building. An expansion in the early 1960s and two in the 1970s made room for product expansion.

Over the years, the Verduns also replaced the cash registers and scanning equipment to keep pace with the times.

“The last several years have seen major capital improvements and renovations to L&N,” Nelson Jr. said. “But it was all worth it.”

Catering to customers’ needs remains the driving philosophy behind L&N Food Store.

“We stress the meat department because that’s what we are known for,” Nelson Jr. said, “but we have a very good selection of everyday grocery products that are to our customers’ liking.”

Remaining competitive with a number of grocers in the area is not easy. That’s why customer satisfaction is central to L&N’s return business, Nelson Jr. said.

“At L&N, you won’t find a standing rib roast or leg of lamb because when we dove into those products our customers didn’t want that, so it just stayed in the meat case,” he explained. “We focus on what they buy and we try to expand on that and do that better than anyone else at a competitive price.”

“The total commitment to customers’ satisfaction has led to consistent growth in sales,” Nelson Jr. said. “The sales growth continues today in spite of the challenges from major competitors.”

“We have a good store, with quality products,” he said. “It can’t get any better than that.”

L&N Food Store is one of the oldest independent grocers in the Lafourche Parish area. Pictured cashier Tiffany Carrier, 17, of Thibodaux checks out a customer. Carrier has been working at L&N Foods for a little over a year and a half. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER