Chief Supermarket

The first Chief Supermarket was the brain child of the Brothers Hench and John Nolan, Jr. Each had been in the food business prior to combining their efforts to open the first of their chain stores in Northwest and West Central Ohio. The first was (and still is) located in Defiance, Ohio. The name “Chief” was chosen because the founders wanted their store to be a leader in the community; which it is today as well, in all of its many locations.

In existence for 60 years now (the first store was opened in 1951), Chief Supermarket offers the usual fair – albeit of the highest quality – meat products along with produce and general grocery items throughout each of their stores; but there is more to Chief Supermarket than the “usual.”

Their bakery offers artisanal breads that taste even better than they look. Their deli is second to none. Their special salads are prepared in-house fresh every single day, which means that they have earned their motto of Tastes Like Home Made, Because It Is. The Wine and Beer department is also something to write home about. They carry 600 different beers, for example, from domestic and important sources. Not something you’ll find in just any store in the land.

The store’s pharmacy, aptly named Good Neighbor Pharmacy, specializes in the friendliest customer service. They’ll fill your prescriptions while you shop. Either 30- or 90-day prescriptions are available for your convenience.

One truly special feature offered by Chief Supermarket is Mary’s Memo. Mary has been a chief recipe adviser for 35 years at Chief Supermarket, and her weekly tips are chock-full of the best advice any home cook could rely and appreciate. Her recipes are also archived on the company’s website, so if you are interested in looking back for some special dishes, you are bound to find something you’d be proud to put on the table for your own family to enjoy.

The original founders of Chief Supermarket have by now been all retired, but their son, Eric Hench, is still running the business, so to this day Chief Supermarkets stand for the fine tradition of a family business. There is always a sense of pride in doing a thing right when it comes to a business owned and operated by a family. And Chief Supermarkets is no exception.

One sign of this good neighbor aspect is their Guidelines for Giving, a kind of community action program devoted to, among other things, food provisions for the needy or other economic development opportunities for area. This kind of commitment for the betterment of one’s community is always already an admirable part of any business that’s in the business not just for its own profits, but also for the business of helping the community at large. Chief Supermarket says it all in its motto: “Great Food. Great Neighbor.”

When you, therefore, walk through one of the store’s doors, you are not just in a supermarket, you are in a Chief Supermarket – a leader in your community and proud to be so.