By Ashad Hajela

The News & Observer

Raleigh, N.C. — About 3,000 people, by the grocer's count, waited in line Sunday morning for the highly anticipated opening in Raleigh of Wegmans' 100th store.

The supermarket chain, which has a cult-like following, said the line broke the company's store-opening record. The Raleigh store is the first of five that are expected in the Triangle, with two also coming to Cary, one to Wake Forest and one to Chapel Hill.

It took 30 to 45 minutes for the line that had wrapped around the building to get inside when doors opened at 7 a.m., according to Wegmans spokesperson Jo Natale.

A friend was in line at @Wegmans before it opened this morning. She sent this photo of the line which seems to be along Industrial Drive behind the store. She said the line was wrapped around the store from both sides. People there directing parking. #wegmansraleigh pic.twitter.com/3fFsG6Lf4I — Brooke Cain (@brookecain) September 29, 2019

In anticipation of the opening, a group of nine people decided to tailgate outside Wegmans starting at 10 p.m. Saturday. Eight of the nine people were from New York, where 46 Wegmans stores are located, according to the company's website.

Cheri McDonald created a Facebook group for the event when she first found out a Wegmans was opening in Raleigh.

"I've personally been waiting 24 years for this day! Some I know have been waiting even longer. Time to celebrate!" she wrote in the group's first post.

"Nine of us hardcore Wegmaniacs showed before midnight (Saturday). I was first to arrive at 10 p.m., followed by Stephanie Turner and Jeremy Maciejewski and we officially started the line!" McDonald said by email.

McDonald, a Rochester, N.Y., native, worked her first job at Wegmans and said she loved the experience.

"It was a lot about the nostalgia of it and bringing a piece of our old home to our new home," she said of Sunday's opening.

One of the people at the tailgate party even brought "Wegmaniac" shirts. A couple celebrating the first anniversary of their engagement joined the group, dressed in "Wegmaniac" hoodies.

Many other customers were also from the North.

"You can tell from the accents," said Pamela Fitzgerald, who is from New York.

Fitzgerald felt that the hype around the store was due to the variety of choices at Wegmans.

"The fresh produce; the meat is better than its competitors," Fitzgerald said.

The city of Raleigh had issued warning about high volumes of traffic expected Sunday. The company hired 20 off-duty Raleigh police officers to guide traffic, The News & Observer reported.

Mina Botrous, from Rochester, N.Y., said he waited in 45 minutes of traffic to get in the store. He had taken his wife on their first date to a Wegmans in Buffalo. "We bought our wedding flowers from here," he said.

Despite waiting so long and dealing with the massive crowds, most people were still happy to be at the store.

“Wegmans is not a grocery store. Wegmans is an experience,” McDonald said. “We knew the energy and excitement would be a one-of-a-kind experience, and it did not disappoint!”