After four decades on Highway 100, McNeil’s Fresh Produce in Bellevue is getting ready to ring up its final sale. The family-run stand, a fixture in the area for 40 years, is closing its doors this week, with the owners saying a mix of rising wholesale prices, higher property taxes, and a steady slide in customer traffic has made the business impossible to keep afloat. The stand plans to open one last time this Saturday.
Owners Cite Rising Costs And Fewer Customers
David and Tabatha McNeil told WSMV that “it’s hard to see it go” and that “the income side of it is not there.” In other words, the math stopped working. They said customers were increasingly opting for grocery stores and expecting rock-bottom prices even as the costs of doing business continued to climb, leaving little margin for their family operation. According to the report, the couple pointed to higher prices for goods, increasing property taxes, and fuel costs as key reasons behind the decision to shut down.
Fuel And Price Pressures
Tabatha told reporters that fuel has been a particular burden for deliveries and suppliers, tightening the squeeze on an already thin-margin business. Data from the Energy Information Administration show U.S. on‑highway diesel averaged roughly $5.52 a gallon for the week ending May 25, 2026, underscoring the kind of fuel bills the McNeils have been up against. Paired with rising wholesale prices, those costs cut deeply into the stand’s long-standing model of selling fresh produce at approachable prices.
Final Weekend And Local Impact
The stand, a familiar stop for Bellevue shoppers, had been posting about seasonal strawberries and tomatoes as recently as mid‑May, according to its online listing. FoodBevg and other local listings show the family-operated stand and its Highway 100 hours, a routine that is about to come to an end with Saturday’s final day of business.
As WSMV reported, the McNeils said they will step back after closing to evaluate whether and how they might return. That uncertainty adds to a string of long-running local businesses shuttering amid higher operating costs, a trend that has made the economic pressure on small, family-run operations more visible than ever.
