There was excitement in the air in Waterloo Wednesday morning, as hundreds of people lined up in frigid temperatures ahead of the much anticipated grand opening of T&T Supermarket.

Tina Lee, chief executive office of the Canadian chain, shared that excitement and was thrilled to finally have the store open in Waterloo.

“We’ve been so excited to be opening in Waterloo, looking for a site for over six years now,” said Lee, who took over the post from her mother, Cindy, in 2014. "I’ve been getting letters honestly from residents of Waterloo and students from the University of Waterloo for years, and they‘re the people that inspire me to come. The Asian community is still a growing community, but I would say that together with the student community something we’re really excited to bring the T&T offerings to.

“We certainly are an Asian supermarket, but we believe we have an offering that appeals to a lot of different customers. Certainly if you’re a Chinese Canadian or you’re an international student, you love the store, because it brings this feeling of homecoming and nostalgia. But for mainstream Canadians, they love our store because they’re discovering new ingredients and new foods and new flavours, so it’s fun for everyone."

The grand opening of T&T at Westmount Place, which is at the corner of Erb Street and Westmount Road, within walking distance of the university district, didn’t disappoint as upwards of 500 people lined up well before the doors opened at 10 a.m.

“It’s really humbling, actually,” Lee said of the excitement. “I didn’t expect the crowd we’re seeing outside of our stores. It’s very flattering to know people are excited about T&T, we just hope they come in the store, they enjoy their shopping experience, and that they’ll come back every week after this.”

Customers who waited in the sub-zero temperatures to enter the store were serenaded with a traditional Chinese lion dance, which Lee says is performed to bring “good fortune” to the store. The line bent all the way around the store and onto the sidewalk along Westmount Road, but the mood was exuberance as customers waited their turn to shop at the 26th T&T in Canada.

T and T lineup is...long pic.twitter.com/BHvlrkR5VK — Namish Modi (@NamishModi) December 5, 2018