On April 1, 2026, the breakfast counter at 4375 N.C. Highway 211 got a new name, and almost nothing else changed. The coffee kept coming and biscuits and gravy stayed on the menu all day. The woman who had been taking orders for three years now owned the place. The Seven Lakes Insider quoted new owner Candy Wood: "There wasn't really any downtime. We just switched the sign."
That sentence fits more than one business around the Seven Lakes and West End crossroads. In the past few years, several familiar places on NC 211 and NC 73 have changed names or owners. Through each change, the people at the counter, at the fryer or in the garden next door have mostly stayed the same.
The 7 Lakes Cafe dining room had been Greenebow's, and before that Mac's Anytime Breakfast. Wood bought it after three years waiting tables there. Her daughter Alexis Wood had worked there about nine years, and her daughter Keila Demmons about a year and a half. The Insider reported that the name doesn't refer to the lakes. It stands for seven members of Wood's family, her children and grandchildren.
Out on Highway 73, the pattern runs deeper.
| Address | Earlier names | On the sign now | The familiar face |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4375 N.C. Highway 211 | Mac's Anytime Breakfast, then Greenebow's | 7 Lakes Cafe | Candy Wood, a waitress for three years before she bought it |
| 4381 Hwy 73 | Fletcher's Barbecue from 1982, then Jordan's | The Pit Shop BBQ & Catering | Doug Garner, who started there about 30 years ago making deliveries and now runs the kitchen for owner Ed Hill |
| 4381 NC-73 | A roadside tent, then a garage market | Dewey's Veggie Vibe | Cain Garner, Doug's son, who started it and farms behind the house next door to The Pit Shop |
Wood has kept what regulars expect: breakfast all day, daily specials, and prices that the Insider said were unchanged "for now," with some even lower. She has also added dishes customers asked for, including an open-faced sandwich special. The cafe's hours, as of the Insider's April report, are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week.
The barbecue stand at 4381 Hwy 73 has been feeding West End since 1982. It opened as Fletcher's Barbecue and then became Jordan's, a catering name that longtime residents connect with church suppers. When it closed unexpectedly, Ed Hill bought it about three years ago and reopened it as The Pit Shop BBQ & Catering. In 2022, Hill had done the same thing for Seven Lakes Health and Fitness Center. Talking to The Seven Lakes Insider in October, he explained why:
"I hate when small businesses close."
Hill kept the barbecue and fried chicken people came for and expanded the catering. The kitchen does weddings, school and church events, holiday parties and community gatherings. Depending on the event, it can cook brisket alongside filet mignon, ribeyes, prime rib, shrimp cocktail and charcuterie boards. On Thursdays, eight- and 16-piece fried chicken dinners go out the door, made with fresh chicken rather than frozen.
For anyone planning a December gathering, the Pit Shop's own site lists pulled pork at $12 a pound, a pig-picking ham at $100, and hot and cold sides at $5 a pound. It works better as a call-ahead kitchen than a drive-through. The Insider's October feature lists takeout Tuesday through Friday, 4 to 7 p.m., and suggests calling or preordering, especially for big orders.
The man at the fryers is the reason the place still feels the same. Doug Garner started there about 30 years ago making deliveries and now oversees the kitchen. "Doug's a staple," Hill told the Insider. "This place doesn't run without him."
Doug Garner's son Cain lives and farms behind the house next door. He told the Insider in April that coming back to that stretch of road is like "being at home." His garden market, Dewey's Veggie Vibe, is named for his labradoodle, Dewey. Garner later realized the name had a history. His great-grandfather, Dewey Garner of Jackson Springs, sold vegetables from a cart to support his wife, Mamie, and their nine children.
It started as a tent by the road with a Facebook page. Garner expected to sell about $50 worth of vegetables one day a week. Instead, he sold out on the first day, and the tent became a garage market with four tables that he calls "slam full." 2026 is its second season. Dewey works the front, standing in an Adirondack chair and expecting what Garner calls a "petting tax" from every customer.
Garner buys what he can't grow from farms he trusts. Strawberries and pumpkins come from Carter Farms. Peaches come from Kalawi Farm and Johnson Family Produce. When his own tomatoes run out, he turns to Whitaker Farm. For the 2026 season, he planned to add homemade bread baked by his mother, Michelle Cameron. He also donates produce to the Mo-Co Freedge at the Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care.
The season ends soon. The market's posted hours are Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., running through Thanksgiving week. With Thanksgiving on November 26, Wednesday, November 25 is the last scheduled market day before the holiday itself. Garner posts updates on the Dewey's Veggie Vibe Facebook page.
The market also sells another neighbor's baking. According to the Sandhills Sentinel, cookies from Abby Bakes Bread sometimes turn up there. The home bakery is run by West End registered dietitian Abby Barberousse, who started advertising to the Seven Lakes community on Facebook in April 2025. Her apple cider sourdough doughnuts are made with coconut sugar and maple syrup and dusted with brown sugar and cinnamon. Her artisan breads can be ordered with add-ins like rosemary, garlic or cinnamon raisin. She meets customers for pickup around West End and Seven Lakes.
The one real newcomer on this stretch chose the same small scale. Jesus and Nicky Lopez opened Teriyaki Express at 135 Mac Dougall Drive on July 13, 2026, and held the ribbon-cutting on August 11. According to the Sandhills Sentinel, their first Teriyaki Express opened in Sanford in 2020 in a much larger space, and that size was a challenge. In West End, they wanted a smaller room. The couple said the size lets them talk with customers more, and Nicky pointed to the front porch, where people can sit and listen to music.
A month after opening, they already had regulars. The teriyaki, ginger and yum yum sauces are made in-house, and so is the meat prep. The Family Meal feeds four to five people with 2 pounds of meat, 2 pounds of rice or noodles, a pound of vegetables and 16 ounces of sauce. That's an easy answer for a house full of holiday guests. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Down the road, a different kind of business is coming. The Seven Lakes Insider reported in September that a Sheetz is planned at 5364 N.C. 211, across from Medley Anna's antique store and near Tractor Supply. The site is tight, and the Moore County Board of Adjustment approved two code deviations for it.
Its arrival will put a chain counter on the same corridor as a diner bought by its waitress and a barbecue kitchen run by a cook who has been there through more than one name.
Many of the season's gatherings are run by neighbors too. The Women of Seven Lakes 2026–2027 calendar and Seven Lakes Golf Club list these dates:
On other December days, Southside Bar and Grill at Seven Lakes Golf Club serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The golf club's owners, Michael and Meera Ivester, have run it since 2023.
Jamie McDevitt, owner-broker of McDevitt Town & Country Properties, takes the same view of Moore County that this corner shows: the people running a place say more about it than the sign out front. Whether you're having the Pit Shop cater a holiday party or trying to get to Dewey's one more time before the market closes for the season, I'm always glad to compare notes on Seven Lakes and West End. Let's Connect.
Jamie will take the time to understand your goals and will work tirelessly to help you reach them. Whether you are moving to the Pinehurst, Southern Pines area to play golf, swing a tennis racket, or simply run or walk through your neighborhood, let Jamie work for you.
