13 November 17–23, 2022 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents 1 Month XX–Month XX, 2014 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER | Contents | Unfair Park | sChUtze | featUre | night+Day | CUltUre | Movies | Dish | MUsiC | ClassifieD | Butt Why? How H-E-B nestled its way deep in the heart of Texans. by Lauren Drewes DanieLs I t’s hard to pinpoint exactly when H-E- B attained rock-star status. There was never any rip-your-stripper-pants-off moment of braggadocio; well, maybe one moment involving a Cadillac Esca- lade with a flashing blue light on top, but only a few saw that. No specific product drop sent social me- dia feeds into a frenzy. No big-name celeb- rity endorsement catapulted H-E-B into the stratosphere. The rise of the Texas grocery store chain, named for the founder’s son, Howard E. Butt, was more of a slow evolu- tion, like churning butter on a porch. That stardom was most recently evident when a new store opened in the North Texas suburb of Frisco. For years, the nearest H-E- B was south of Dallas in Waxahachie. This new spot was the first to feed the north side of the Dallas area. Claudia Kist and Tommy Trogden created the North Texas H-E-B Fanatics Facebook page soon after H-E-B filed plans with the zoning board in Plano, where the company opened its second store north of Dallas this month. The page’s 8,300 members ask about wait times at stores and share best finds. “H-E-B has been an unofficial part of my family,” Trogden recently told the Observer. “Growing up in San Antonio, something from the store was at every birthday and ev- ery holiday. When we moved to the Dallas area, we were longing for H-E-B to make its way up here.” The night before the grand opening in Frisco on Sept. 21, people camped out at the front door. By the time the store opened, lines wrapped around the building. Days later there were still lines out the door, even during a Cowboys game on a Sunday after- noon, typically an ideal time for shoppers to avoid busy aisles. But why? This is America, where abun- dant produce and no queues played a role in the nation’s victory in the Cold War after So- viet leader Boris Yelstin visited a Randall’s supermarket near Houston in 1989. Who in their right mind would battle the traffic, the parking lot and congested aisles all for gro- ceries? A Category 4 hurricane wasn’t bar- reling toward us; there was no need to stock up on toilet paper, hotdogs and boxed wine. There’d been no warnings of a winter storm shutting down the city or electrical grid. What is it about a grocery store that stokes fan groups on Facebook, lines for days and an allegiance thicker than brisket queso? Aside from the pomp of grand opening events, perhaps it’s the simplicity. H-E-B has always kept its branding humble, hom- ing in on what they know best: Texas. Then, when things go south (hurricanes, ice storms, power failures), they’re quick to take care of their own. It’s an uncomplicated ap- proach. In the end, H-E-B may personify the best version of who we are as a state. Case in point: The week after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Houston area with flooding in 2017, reporter Chip Cutter (who is now with the Wall Street Journal but at the time was reporting for LinkedIn) inter- viewed Scott McClelland, then a 27-year H- E-B veteran and president of the grocery stores’ Houston division. The company’s response was a fascinating display of ingenuity and chutzpah. H-E-B had 83 stores throughout the Houston area and managed to open 60 of them just hours after the hurricane hit. Many workers were displaced by flooding, however, including truck drivers who were needed to move goods. So, H-E-B, as McClelland tells it, used helicopters to fly drivers over from San Anto- nio to Houston. Others, who worked at stores in San Antonio, drove to the area to help out. McClelland called toilet paper manufac- turers with instructions to bypass distribu- tion centers and make deliveries directly to stores. They stopped baking their usual 50 varieties of bread and instead concentrated on three essentials: white, wheat and hotdog buns. They dispatched full-blown mobile kitchens capable of feeding 2,000 people an hour. McClelland said H-E-B often arrives at disaster areas before the Red Cross. But that’s nothing. In 2005, after Hurri- cane Rita, a Category 3 storm that Jack Moraglia >> p14 Winning Lineup Six H-E-B itEmS WortH tHE Wait in LinE. by LesLie Chatman F riends Claudia Kist and Tommy Trogden created an H-E-B Face- book page as a way to secretly keep friends informed about the gro- cery chain’s expansion into North Texas before the company made the news official. “We started it back in 2020 when it was filed with the Plano zoning board that H-E-B was planning to build,” said Kist. “As soon as I learned of their plans, I talked to Tommy and his wife and we decided to start a page for our friends to keep them up to date on the happenings.” Since then, the page has gained a fol- lowing of more than 6,000 and has morphed into the North Texas H-E-B Fanatics Facebook page, a place for life- long fans and newbies to celebrate each opening as the brand grows. The first Dallas area store opened in Frisco in late September, with about 1,500 people waiting in line to get inside to experience all that H-E-B has to offer. Similar crowds greeted the Plano store when it opened in early November. Both stores continue to see an abundance of shoppers. Re- cently, the Dallas Observer talked with Kist and Trogden to learn the top six items they think are worth the wait in line. Jalapeño Pimento Cheese Longtime fans and newbies alike love this mix of shredded cheddar and white ched- dar cheeses with mayonnaise, pimientos and jalapenos. bakery butter Flour Tortillas As one of the most sought-after items in the store, these tortillas are made fresh and are perfect for tacos, fajitas or snacking on the ride home. brisket Queso and bakery Tortilla Chips This ready-to-bake queso comes with pit-smoked brisket, pico and cheeses. Grab a bag of thin and crispy bakery torti- lla chips to enjoy the melty goodness. 1877 Mineral water Sourced and bottled in Mineral Wells, Texas, this water has a nice balance of ef- fervescence and flavor. bacon-wrapped Jalapeño Poppers Ready to grill or bake and available in plain (cream cheese), sausage, brisket or boudin, the bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers are a perfect party or anytime snack. ready Made Meals If you are searching for a variety of quality heat-and-eat meals in small and family- size portions, H-E-B has everything from American and Mexican favorites to Asian and Indian-inspired dishes at an affordable price. | City of Ate | t Dish H-e-B’s popularity is a phenomenon in texas.
