BUCKHANNON – Fish Hawk Acres has transitioned into a ‘grocer-aunt.’

With dine-in eating temporarily prohibited, the local eatery has moved forward with plans to expand next door with the goal of offering more space for both the market and restaurant portions of the Main Street business.

Co-owners Dale Hawkins and Teresa Lipps — along with the rest of the Fish Hawk team — have been working on the expansion into the building adjacent to their current location while also keeping the coolers stocked and grill going for pickup orders. Patrons can currently stop by and shop, you just can’t sit and eat.

“We are converting into a grocer-aunt, so there are no tables or chairs right now, and when they will return all depends on the virus,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins said that when someone first walks in to the new-look space, they will notice shelves of grocery products where the large farm table used to be, and the eight-door cooler has been cut in half — the other portion will be on the other side of the wall, in the new expanded area.

“Eventually that’s going to be a produce section,” Hawkins said of the expanded space next door. “In the space where the produce is now, we are thinking of making that our beer and wine selection. None of it is set in stone; we’re taking it one step at a time, but we’re trying to think of [the new area] as a grocery store.”

Once completed, Hawkins said the new setup will have several sections, featuring a meat department, beverage area, deli, dairy and more.

“It’s like a grocery store, but micro-size, and it’s going to be like a neighborhood market where you can also get great food,” Hawkins said.

“We’re also talking with an online platform to get everything listed online so people can shop online, and then we would actually deliver it to their homes, and they could also do curbside pickup,” Hawkins added.

Can’t wait to get your favorite Fish Hawk food? You can order off the sandwich and breakfast menu online for takeout, or stop by and pick something up from the market.

Currently, only three people will be permitted in at once to maintain social distancing protocols. A list of items available in the grocery portion of the market can be found on their Facebook page.