Supermarket chain H-E-B to open new Dallas-area store in college town

H-E-B

Texas' favorite supermarket chain is opening a new location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area: And that location is … drumroll … Denton.

According to a release, as the retailer continues its expansion in the North Texas, they're planning to open their first H-E-B store in Denton in Hillwood’s Landmark development.

The Denton H-E-B store will be built on a more than 20-acre site at the northwest corner of Interstate 35W and Robson Ranch Road.

While the purchase of the property is not yet finalized, construction on the store is expected to begin this spring. Additional details about the project will be shared at a groundbreaking ceremony.

Denton's profile as a college town, home to the University of North Texas as well as Texas Woman's University, creates a critical mass of shoppers that can sustain the opening of a supermarket such as this.

“This is a rapidly growing area, and we are excited to introduce this new H-E-B store to Denton and surrounding towns. We look forward to meeting our new neighbors and sharing more details soon,” said Mabrie Jackson, Managing Director of Public Affairs for H-E-B and Central Market.

The store represents the latest planned opening of H-E-B stores in the Dallas area:

Frisco, at the northeast corner of Legacy Drive and Main Street, which opened in September 2022
Plano, at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Spring Creek Parkway, which opened in November 2022
Allen, at 575 E. Exchange Pkwy., which opened in October 2023
Fort Worth Alliance, which opened in April 2024
McKinney, at the northeast corner of Custer Road and Eldorado Parkway, which opened in July 2023
Frisco, which opened at Hwy 380 and FM 423 in August 2024

Plus stores in the works, opening in 2025-2026 including:

Melissa- Northeast Corner US 75 and Highway 121, which broke ground in January 2024
Prosper- Southeast corner Frontier Parkway and the Dallas North Tollway, which broke ground in April 2024
Rockwall- Southwest corner John King Boulevard and I30, which broke ground in June 2024
Forney - at U.S. 80 and Gateway Boulevard, anticipated to open in early 2026
Irving - at I-635 and Olympus Boulevard in front of the former Fry’s electronics store, expected to open in late 2026
Dallas - at the southeast corner of Hillcrest Road and LBJ Freeway, opening still TBD

H-E-B has been in Dallas since 2001 when it opened its first high-end chain Central Market, which now has six locations in Dallas, Plano, Southlake, and Fort Worth. There's also finally progress on the long-awaited Central Market coming to Uptown Dallas in a former Albertson's store at 3524 McKinney Ave. at the corner of Lemmon Avenue, which has been closed since 2016.

They also have two locations of their lower-priced Joe V’s Smart Shop by H-E-B stores: Joe V’s Smart Shop by H-E-B Wheatland at 4101 W. Wheatland Rd., which opened in June 2024, and Joe V’s Smart Shop by H-E-B Buckner on the east side of Dallas at 5204 S. Buckner Blvd., which is opening on March 26, 2025. A third Joe V's location is also planned at State Highway 183 and Story Road in Irving.

supermarkets openings

Hugs all around

Nonprofit Hugs Café expands with $10M McKinney headquarters and eatery

Photo courtesy of Hugs Cafe

Hugs Cafe has debuted a new cafe in its new McKinney headquarters.

A culinary-centric charity that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities build careers in hospitality has a snazzy new home in downtown McKinney: Hugs Café Inc. has opened a new $10 million headquarters, eatery, and training center at 221 Andrews St., McKinney.

The 13,500-square-foot facility brings together the organization's administrative offices and Hugs Training Academy under one roof, a release says, creating what it calls a centralized hub to expand workforce training and employment opportunities.

“This new space allows us to grow our programs and serve more individuals than ever before,” says Lauren Smith, CEO at Hugs Café Inc, in the release. “It represents a major step forward in our mission to create meaningful training and employment opportunities. We are deeply grateful for the community support and partnerships that have helped bring this vision to life and continue to make our work possible every day.”

The new HQ is called Home for Hugs.Photo courtesy of Hugs Cafe

Called the Home for Hugs, the building includes a commercial training kitchen, four classrooms, administrative offices, flexible workspaces, a rooftop deck, and an outdoor patio. The facility is designed to increase the organization's training capacity while supporting future expansion of its programs, leadership says.

Hugs Café Inc. is a McKinney-based nonprofit social enterprise that provides hospitality training and competitively paid employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its flagship venture is Hugs Café, which offers on-the-job experience in an inclusive restaurant environment.

Dining at Hugs Cafe
Founded in 2015 by Ruth Thompson, the organization has grown from a single McKinney café into a network that now includes two café locations (the other's at 2918 Live Oak St. in Dallas), along with two Hugs Training Academies, the new headquarters, and affiliate partners across the country.

The McKinney cafe is open to customers for dine-in and delivery at breakfast and lunch, 8 am-3 pm Monday-Saturday (closed Sunday), with catering available. The menu includes breakfast items such as biscuit sandwiches and breakfast burritos; salads, sandwiches, soups, and desserts.

Sweet treats from Hugs Cafe. Photo courtesy of Hugs Cafe

Sandwiches include grilled cheese, a Monte Cristo, a BLTA with avocado, and a "chickie hug" sandwich with cranberry pecan chicken salad and mixed greens.

Salads include a Greek salad, spinach salad, and a chef's salad with turkey and bacon. Desserts include cookies, carrot cake, and chocolate bourbon pecan pie.

Catering choices vary from sandwich boxed lunches to whole cakes and jumbo quantities of pimento cheese or chicken salad. White Rhino coffee in large quantities is offered, as well.

Building a lasting impact
Construction on the headquarters began in May 2025. Dallas developer KDC led the project, with Corgan serving as architect, Brasfield & Gorrie as general contractor, and Valliance Bank providing financing, according to the release.

“Bringing this vision to life alongside Hugs Café Inc. is a meaningful opportunity for KDC to support individuals seeking personalized training and a pathway into the workforce,” says Eric Hage, KDC president. “We’re grateful to the Hugs Café team and our fellow donors for allowing us to play a role in creating lasting impact for these individuals and their families.”

openings mckinney nonprofits