At simply previous 6 a.m. on Wednesday, nearly the entire spots within the 500-space storage on the new H-E-B on South Congress Avenue have been full. Music was bumping. Confetti was fluttering by means of the air. UT Austin cheerleaders have been dancing. A pair kissed in entrance of a large crimson H-E-B coronary heart signal hanging above the escalators.
The retailer at 2400 S. Congress Ave., which opened Wednesday, marks the resurrection of the longest-standing H-E-B grocery retailer in Austin. The unique retailer opened in 1957 and sat at 25,000 sq. toes.
The new retailer is 2 tales excessive, spans greater than 145,000 sq. toes and is run by greater than 600 workers. It has a True Texas barbecue restaurant with indoor and out of doors seating, machines to grind your personal nut butter on the spot, murals painted by native artists and the biggest wine choice of any H-E-B retailer.
Michael Minasi
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KUT News
Loads has modified over the previous 67 years, however loyalty to the Texas staple has not.
Johnny Mojica, H-E-B’s public affairs supervisor, mentioned the primary shopper received in line at 10 p.m. Tuesday night. Another wave of consumers lined up round 2 a.m.
Hutto resident Sandra Reyes wakened at 3 a.m. to see the doorways open.
“This was my retailer rising up since I used to be 5. I needed to come see it open. There was simply no manner I used to be going to overlook that,” she mentioned.
Reyes mentioned she liked the unique location a lot, she took a small piece of the constructing dwelling together with her when it was demolished in 2022. She retains it on a shelf in her lounge.
“That’s the shop I grew up with, so I needed to hold a chunk of it,” she mentioned. “That was my coronary heart. My dwelling.”
South Austin resident Marcos Gonzales mentioned he’s been purchasing at this H-E-B because the ‘80s. He was amongst a fortunate few to obtain a particular reward bag with a $250 reward card and a signed Austin FC jersey.
“I’m very very excited as you’ll be able to inform,” he mentioned. “I’ve to watch out to not hyperventilate.”
Michael Minasi
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KUT News
As a part of the grand opening, H-E-B donated $50,000 to native nonprofits. The Barton Springs Conservancy, the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, St. Edward’s University’s meals pantry, the Texas School for the Deaf and the St. Ignatius Martyr Church Food Pantry every obtained $10,000.
“This firm, H-E-B, after they speak about ‘folks matter,’ they actually imply that,” mentioned Troy Williams, an worker at H-E-B’s Round Rock retailer who drove to Austin this morning to assist out for the grand opening. “It’s not simply lip service. I imply we actually are right here to make the lives of Texans higher. I do know that perhaps seems like a industrial, nevertheless it’s actually true.”
Michael Minasi
/
KUT News
