An online grocery service called Instacart will open for business in the Burlington area on February 14, according to a company news release. Customers will be able to order groceries and other products at Instacart.com or via a mobile app, then choose a time frame for delivery within an hour or two of the order. An Instacart "shopper" will use the online order to shop for the customer and deliver the goods.

"Over the past year, we've seen incredible demand in the Burlington area," said Instacart general manager Walker Dieckmann, as quoted in the release. "We work with a variety of local retailers to provide the freshest, highest quality groceries to our customers."

The company is expected to employ about 100 "shoppers" in the area, forming a cadre of people who will shop for others at stores including Price Chopper, Shaw's, Costco Wholesale, CVS Pharmacy and Petco, according to Instacart.

Although phone calls to management of local stores revealed some were not aware of Instacart's arrival, a company spokeswoman confirmed on Monday that the service will begin operating locally on Wednesday.

Instacart will be available to residents of Burlington and beyond, reaching from St. Albans to Bolton. The delivery fee is $5.99 for orders of $35 or more. An express membership, at $149 a year, offers unlimited Instacart shopping, the news release says.

Shanty on the Shore is adding a deck to its building at 181 Battery Street in Burlington, said Kim Gobeille, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Al Gobeille (who's also secretary of the Agency of Human Services).

The open-air deck will be constructed on three sides of the building — north, south and lakeside. Kim said she hopes it will be open for outdoor dining in May.