Austin Now Home to Biggest H-E-B in Central Texas

Austinites lined up at midnight on Wednesday to be among the first to greet a huge celebrity: A brand new, 145,000-square-foot H-E-B grocery store, the biggest in Central Texas.

H-E-B opened a new and improved store at the intersection of South Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street after tearing down the old grocery store building that had been there since 1957. It’s been a long two years of shopping at a cramped temporary store for customers in the area while the massive building was constructed.

The new store has 500 spots in three levels of parking, indoor and outdoor dining, escalators, elevators, sculptures and murals, and a barbecue restaurant. Roughly 600 people were trained to work at the new store, said Joey Uker, the store’s general manager.

H-E-B executives and employees, Austin City Council members, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel, and community members welcomed the new store, which is nearly double the size of the previous one, with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday night.

Stephen Butt, president of Central Market and H-E-B, said the Austin store has been top of mind for the company for a decade and especially in the last two years with everyone asking, “What’s the latest on Austin 8?”

“It truly is a community hub,” said José Velásquez, Austin City Council member for District 3.

Here’s a peek inside the new store: