Looped in

H-E-B stocking San Antonio’s Far West Side with brand-new grocery store

H-E-B has confirmed a new Far West Side store.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

A new $15.4 million H-E-B store is in the works on the Far West Side of San Antonio.

Construction on the new store at 14325 Potranco Rd., west of Loop 1604 near Texas 211, is set to start next January and be completed next June, according to documents filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

H-E-B spokeswoman Julie Bedingfield confirms a new store is on tap for the Potranco Road site. Though she reveals it’ll be an H-E-B store and not a coveted H-E-B plus! store, beyond that, details about the new location won’t be divulged until the groundbreaking draws closer, she says.

Though it won't be a supersized store, at 111,553 square feet, the new Potranco Road store will be on the larger end of the H-E-B scale in terms of size. An average store is 70,000 square feet, while the largest store measures 178,000 square feet. A typical H-E-B plus! store exceeds 100,000 square feet.

The Potranco Road store caps off a very busy year for H-E-B in San Antonio. In July, the homegrown grocer announced it was testing driverless delivery vehicles in the area, followed by the August news that the grocer was building a huge hub downtown to streamline tech operations.

The company's footprint continues to grow. Today, H-E-B operates more than 50 stores in the San Antonio area and is one of the top 100 retailers in America, according to the National Retail Federation trade association.

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NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Fine dining chef unpacks nostalgic pop-up concept at popular Grayson Street bar on Memorial Day

Three Star Bar/ Facebook

Throwback Sammies will soon fill the tables at Three Star Bar.

With new restaurants seemingly opening daily, San Antonio’s culinary scene is more exhilarating than ever. But even those with a packed reservation schedule sometimes crave something different.

Enter pop-ups — a San Antonio obsession that grows more popular each month. The latest to enter the fray is Restaurant Claudine chef Mel Cavazos, who will debut Throwback Sammies, a one-night-only concept sprouting up at Three Star Bar on May 29.

“I want to do something comforting that everyone can relate to,” explains Cavazos of the nostalgic concept. “I want the menu to read simply but totally unexpected when you eat it.”

The small menu includes a trio of dishes that evoke childhood memories. Cheese bread is reimagined with Romesco sauce, burrata, and basil, while another sandwich has all the fixings of a Sunday pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and gravy. Those desperately waiting for fall will no doubt flock to the Thanksgiving Meltdown, complete with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry.

One dish, however, is even more personal. In honor of a recently passed friend, Cavazos added a “secret” vegan sandwich featuring buffalo cauliflower and homemade pickled vegetables.

“He loved his vegan wings,” Cavazos remembers.

The chef tells CultureMap that Throwback Sammies is just the start of a series of pop-ups she hopes to hold monthly. As she continues developing a career at Carpenter Carpenter Hospitality’s ever-growing restaurant empire, she sees the pop-up series as a chance to keep exploring her culinary voice.

“I want to expand and explore more options,” Cavazos says, adding, “I love sandwiches, but that’s not what I like to be known for.”

Throwback Sammies starts at 8 pm and runs until supplies run out. Future pop-ups will be announced via Instagram.

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