The Nov. 2 opening of Plano’s new H-E-B’s store has been a long time coming for friends Tommy Trogden and Claudia Kist.

Trogden said he generally finds two camps of people: those who have shopped at H-E-B and those who think it is just a grocery store. He is the former, having grown up in San Antonio, where the grocery chain store is headquartered. Kist, who is from New York, was not sure what to expect.

When the zoning change for the site at 6001 Preston Road came through the city of Plano in 2020, the two started a fan page on Facebook called “H-E-B is coming to Plano” to keep people informed. The page has since been rebranded as "North Texas H-E-B Fanatics" and now has more than 6,500 followers, who lately have kept each other abreast of parking, crowds and fresh tortillas at the Frisco location, which opened Sept. 21, Trogden said.

“H-E-B’s kind of part of the family,” Trogden said. “Whenever you had a get-together or you had Thanksgiving or you had a birthday, H-E-B was there.”

Someone brought an H-E-B cake, the store’s homemade tortillas or meat from H-E-B for grilling, he said.


He said he has been to the Frisco H-E-B store at least a dozen times while waiting for the opening of the Plano store located about a mile from his house. The Plano store is the second location for H-E-B in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

City and school officials along with many H-E-B employees gathered at the store Nov. 1 for an official ribbon-cutting in advance of the store’s 6 a.m. Nov. 2 opening.

“The enthusiasm and the support across the region has been beyond our expectations,” said Mabrie Jackson, director of public affairs for H-E-B and a 53-year Plano resident who previously served as a Plano City Council member.

The family-owned grocery store was founded in 1905 by Florence Butts and has expanded to more than 420 locations in Texas and Mexico. It also has 13 manufacturing plants, where much of its H-E-B-branded foods, from cakes to ice cream to potato chips, are made, Jackson said.


The 118,000-square-foot Plano store has all the items customers expect from a grocery store and more. It has seafood flown in daily, more than 250 types of cheeses and 850 brands of craft beer. It also regularly purchases auction lots of wines to boost its selection.

The Plano store will also be the first to have the Cafe Ole by H-E-B medium-roast coffee called Taste of DFW, Jackson said.

A dietician on staff can help guide customers on special diets, whether it is due to an allergy or fitness training. An appointment is required, but the store accepts most health insurance types.

There is a pharmacy with a drive-thru, a Texas True BBQ restaurant, curbside pickup, home deliveries and about 750 employees “here to make it easier for your family to eat good food,” Jackson said.


Patrick Gural, the top store leader for the Plano location, said he is proud to work for a company that puts its community partners first.

“This store was designed to reflect the community of Plano,” he said, adding one of his goals this next year is for “the community of Plano to say, ‘We’re better off because H-E-B is here.’ And if we do that, I think we’ve done our job.”

Plano Mayor Pro Tem Kayci Prince said she appreciates all that H-E-B has already done, including its monetary donations to more than 150 organizations in the city. On Nov. 1, as part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, H-E-B donated $10,000 to the culinary arts program at Plano ISD’s Career Technology Center.

“We’re not just celebrating the opening of a grocery store,” Prince said. “We’re also celebrating a committed community partner that is dedicated to serving this city and its neighbors.”


H-E-B stores are also planned in McKinney, Allen, Fort Worth's Alliance area and Mansfield.

Doors will open to customers at the Plano store at 6 a.m. Nov. 2. H-E-B is located at 6001 Preston Road, Plano. Hours are 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. www.heb.com




Editor's note: The original story has been edited to correct an error. Friends Tommy Trogden and Claudia Kist started the Facebook page.