ANDERSON — J.R. and Lisa Powell, owner-operators of Poppa Tee’s Restaurant and Grocery at 1501 W. Whitner St. in Anderson, both know a little bit about helping others.

As foster parents and restaurant owners, the Powell’s believe very strongly in exercising the golden rule.

“We treat everyone who comes in here exactly as we’d like to be treated,” J.R. Powell said from the dining counter at the business over a hot cup of Lisa’s fresh coffee “No matter who you are, everybody’s the same at Poppa Tee’s.”

Lisa Powell’s mother and stepfather, Troy and Virginia Smith, founded Poppa Tee’s nearly a quarter of a century ago in the old Hardy Brother’s Grocery Store. Powell is quick to echo the sentiment of her husband.

“We love serving our customers,” she said.

And it shows.

Within 20 minutes one morning, several neighborhood friends and customers visited the dining room for breakfast, while others quietly browsed the shelves of the grocery.

In every situation, the Powells were quick to smile and greet every one. After all, the couple not only owns Poppa Tee’s, they do the cooking, serving, stocking and cleaning.

“This is definitely a family business,” J.R. Powell said as he nodded at his wife, who was busy working the griddle.

In addition to serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, a portion of the Poppa Tee’s dining room recently was converted into a grocery. The grocery has begun accepting EBT cards, which allow users to automatically deduct the cost of purchased items from individual food stamp accounts.

Offering EBT is an added benefit for many neighborhood customers, who, according to J.R. Powell, are feeling the effects of the struggling economy.

“Many of our customers cannot afford their own transportation, which makes getting to the supermarket difficult,” he said. “Expanding our business to include groceries has been a pleasure for us, because the folks in surrounding neighborhoods can walk over and pick up bread or milk instead of having to wait for a ride to the store.”

Poppa Tee’s stocks a variety of fresh, frozen, refrigerated and nonperishable items, and they do their best to keep prices down.

“We keep our prices at or below those found at the supermarket,” J.R. Powell said, adding that if Poppa Tee’s sees a drop in the price of particular product, so will customers. “If we get a deal on a product, then you get a deal. In hard times like these, we’re not gonna gouge folks for an extra buck.”

Poppa Tee’s is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is closed Sundays.

For more information, please contact (864) 231-0438.