Supermarket News

H-E-B supermarket to break ground on new Dallas-area store in Melissa

H-E-B supermarket coming to Melissa.

H-E-B

The town of Melissa is getting something that many other Dallas-Fort Worth cities crave: its own H-E-B.

The Texas supermarket chain will officially break ground on a new location in Melissa on January 11. The new store will be located at the northeast corner of I-75 and 121.

It joins four H-E-B stores, all in northern Texas, which have already opened in the past year:

Frisco, at the northeast corner of Legacy Drive and Main Street
Plano, at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Spring Creek Parkway
Allen, at 575 E. Exchange Pkwy., which opened in October
McKinney, at the northeast corner of Custer Road and Eldorado Parkway, which opened in July

It's part of H-E-B's big expansion across North Texas. The chain also has stores in Alliance/Fort Worth and Mansfield under construction, plus plans for additional DFW-area H-E-B stores in Prosper and Rockwall.

H-E-B is also introducing Joe V’s Smart Shop by H-E-B to the region, an innovative price format with a smaller assortment of community focused products, with locations planned for W. Wheatland Rd. and Highway 67 as well as S. Buckner Blvd. and Samuell St.

H-E-B has a strong DFW presence via its Central Market stores, which debuted in the Dallas area in 2001, now with four locations in Dallas, Plano, Southlake, and Fort Worth.

There are also H-E-B stores in some surrounding towns including Burleson, Hudson Oaks, Granbury, and Waxahachie.

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat and grandchildren. According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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