Hy-Vee Hosts Annual Veterans Day Breakfast

Hy-Vee locations served a free buffet-style breakfast to veterans on Wednesday morning as part of a 27-year tradition.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Military

Brick storefront corner with an empty awning and fallen autumn leaves on the sidewalk, bluffs visible beyond the rooftops in soft morning light. — Hy-Vee stores across its markets served free breakfast to veterans on Wednesday morning, continuing a 27-year tradition of honoring service members. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Hy-Vee locations held their annual Veterans Day breakfast on Wednesday, serving a free buffet-style meal to veterans from 6 to 10 a.m. Veterans and active-duty service members also received 15% off grocery purchases, in-store or online.

Why it matters

The breakfast is a long-running community tradition that recognizes veterans in La Crosse and other Hy-Vee markets. The grocery discount offers a practical, ongoing benefit to service members beyond the single morning event.

The breakfast ran from 6 to 10 a.m. and the discount offered 15% off grocery purchases. The source does not report attendance figures or the cost of the promotion to the company.

The players

Hy-Vee

Hy-Vee is a Midwest-based employee-owned supermarket chain that operates grocery stores across several states, including Wisconsin.

Rising Star

Rising Star is an organization that partners with businesses to bring trained therapy dogs to events for veterans.

The details

The La Crosse Hy-Vee partnered with Rising Star to bring dogs for veterans during the event. The tradition began in 1999 in Belton, Missouri, when a store director wanted to honor veterans in his community.

1999: The Veterans Day breakfast tradition began in Belton, Missouri.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 6 to 10 a.m.: Hy-Vee locations held the breakfast.

Season Trajectory

The La Crosse event extends a Hy-Vee tradition that began in Belton, Missouri, in 1999 and has run for 27 years across the chain. Its continuation reflects a long-standing corporate practice of annual veteran recognition rather than a one-time promotion.

Veterans and active-duty service members can use the 15% grocery discount in-store or online without a separate event visit. The discount applies to ordinary grocery purchases, giving a recurring savings option to eligible service members.

The takeaway

Recognition programs like this one work best when they combine a visible community event with an everyday benefit that veterans can use repeatedly. Service members in La Crosse can check their local Hy-Vee's current discount terms before shopping.