Whole Foods location in Bee Cave to open in May, officials say

A new Whole Foods store in Bee Cave is set to open May 16.

The new grocery store in the Hill Country Galleria will employ between 150 and 200 people and be about 35,000 square feet in size, Whole Foods officials said March 21. Whole Foods also announced a new location would be opening June 19 in Austin at the Arbor Trails Shopping Center.

"These are the first new stores in Austin since the late 1980s, with the exception of our relocated stores," said a statement from Mark Dixon, the southwest regional president of Whole Foods. "Our guests have told us they'd like to see more stores in our hometown, and we have been working hard to make that happen."

In addition to groceries, the Whole Foods in Bee Cave will have an in-store bar, chef-prepared food and outdoor seating. There will be opening week activities such as tastings and demonstrations from local producers, according to a news release.

"We've really enjoyed getting to know our new neighbors at both locations and they've been instrumental in helping us settle in," said a statement from Whole Foods spokeswoman Rebecca Scofield. "We'll be hosting our regular community giving days and are looking forward to helping out some very worthy nonprofit organizations with our event during opening week at each store."

Whole Foods started in Austin in 1980 and has grown to more than 315 stores across the world.