New two-story HEB on Lake Austin sets opening date. Here's what to expect

Lori Hawkins, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read
San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B said Tuesday that it plans to open its Lake Austin store on Feb. 15. The multi-level store will include restaurants, a coffee shop, a deli and a bakery.
San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B said Tuesday that it plans to open its Lake Austin store on Feb. 15. The multi-level store will include restaurants, a coffee shop, a deli and a bakery.

H-E-B plans to swing open the doors of its long-awaited Lake Austin store on Feb. 15, the grocery chain said Tuesday.

The 97,000-square-foot store at 715 S. Exposition Blvd. will have a two-story porch with views of Lake Austin. As H-E-B's first multi-level store in Austin, "it will include features and innovations that make it a community gathering place," the company said in a written statement.

H-E-B Lake Austin will operate a True Texas BBQ restaurant and will include a full bar and indoor and outdoor seating. It will also have a South Flo Pizza restaurant and a coffee shop that will serve house-made breakfast tacos. Curbside and home delivery services will be available.

The new store is part of San Antonio-based H-E-B's ongoing growth in Central Texas. Current expansions include a new 121,000-square-foot store in Georgetown, and in South Austin the company is investing $200 million in new construction including a flagship store at South Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street.

More:H-E-B starts work on new store in Georgetown as Austin-area expansion revs up

H-E-B has operated in Austin for more than 80 years and has long been the region's dominant grocer. Industry analysts estimate the company controls about 60% of the grocery market in Austin, a rarity in U.S. cities, where Walmart usually dominates sales.

The new Lake Austin location replaces a Randalls store that had operated on the property since 1977. The 2.6-acre site is owned by the University of Texas as part of its Brackenridge Tract in West Austin.

The Lake Austin project was interrupted due to pandemic-related delays. Construction began in October 2019, with the original opening date set for 2021.

The design by San Antonio-based Lake Flato Architects, which also designed H-E-B's Mueller Market, includes vine-covered walls, natural lighting, pitched roofs and materials and textiles such as limestone, wood, brick and metals.

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In addition, the Lake Austin location will feature an expanded beer and wine department, a meat market and seafood counter, and the grocery chain's largest Dinner Tonight ready-to-cook meal selection. There will also be space for cooking demonstrations.

The store, which will have underground parking, will also include a full-service pharmacy with drive-thru, a bakery and a deli with a charcuterie station.

This spring, H-E-B began construction on its new Georgetown grocery store at 1010 W. University Ave. in the Wolf Lakes Village neighborhood. It will replace a 67,000-square-foot store at along Interstate 35 that opened 33 years ago.

The I-35 store will remain operational until the new location opens, the company said. H-E-B opened its first Georgetown store at 600 W. University in 1966. The 21,000-square-foot store remained in operation until 1989.

H-E-B currently operates two stores in Georgetown. The new store is expected to open in spring 2023.

The grocery chain also is building a 103,000-square-foot store at the former site of the Nutty Brown Amphitheater in Southwest Austin. H-E-B purchased the Nutty Brown property in 2005. The store is scheduled to open in the spring.

More:H-E-B building store on former site of Nutty Brown Amphitheatre in Southwest Austin

The company this year also began the demolition and rebuilding of the H-E-B store at South Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street. The store at 2400 S. Congress Ave. opened in 1957 at 25,000 square feet.

H-E-B has opened a temporary store at the nearby Twin Oaks shopping center during construction. The grocer has estimated that the new three-level, 145,000-square-foot store will take two years to complete.

H-E-B's Central Texas growth comes as Kroger Co., which doesn't have any stores in Austin, has broken into the local market with a new e-commerce delivery service. Kroger, which is the country's largest grocery retailer, operates a 70,000-square-foot facility in Northeast Austin that started operations earlier this year.

H-E-B has invested heavily in the grocery delivery space after buying Austin-based delivery service Favor in 2018. Today, Favor has a network of tens of thousands of runners delivering restaurant meals, groceries and other purchases around the clock.

Austin-based Whole Foods Market also offers delivery services through its parent company Amazon.

Earlier this year, H-E-B began the demolition and rebuilding of its store at South Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street. The San Antonio-based grocer has estimated that the new three-level, 145,000-square-foot store will take two years to complete.
Earlier this year, H-E-B began the demolition and rebuilding of its store at South Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street. The San Antonio-based grocer has estimated that the new three-level, 145,000-square-foot store will take two years to complete.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What to expect from the two-story H-E-B opening on Lake Austin