'What does H-E-B stand for?': 9 frequently Googled questions about the San Antonio-based grocer (2024)

H-E-B has received praise nationally and from celebrities for its response to natural disasters and the pandemic in 2020. The San Antonio-based grocer also typically receives high marks on consumer surveys and has a dedicated fan base.

So, it shouldn't be all that surprising that people, especially outside of Texas, are curious about H-E-B and are taking their questions to Google. One of the most popular queries on Google: "What are H-E-B employees called?" They're known as "partners."

Others want to know what the "B" in H-E-B stands for or how much the company's executives make.

Below are questions drawn from Google search queries about the grocery chain:

What does H-E-B stand for?

No, it's not "Here Everything's Better." H-E-B is an abbreviation for Howard E. Butt, the son of the store's founder, Florence Butt, who first opened a small grocery store in Kerrville.When the younger Butt expanded the business, it was renamed. The business now belongs to the third generation of Butts, including CEO Charles Butt.

Is H-E-B only located in Texas?

In Mexico, the stores are known as Supermercados Internacionales H-E-B. The grocery chain has more than 50 locations in Mexico and opened its first location in the country in Monterrey in 1997.

In total, H-E-B has 420 stores, making itthe sixth-largest private company in the U.S. in 2022, according to Forbes.

What arethe largest and smallest H-E-Bs in Texas?

At 182,000 square feet, the Bandera Road and Loop 1604 H-E-B Plus location in San Antonio is H-E-B's largest location. While other locations have crossed the 100,000-square-foot threshold, none have approached Bandera's 44 acres. The store opened more than a decade ago.

The smallest H-E-B store is the South Flores location, near the company's San Antonio headquarters at Cesar Chavez and South Flores. The store is only 12,000 square feet, or about 15 times smaller than the Bandera location. The store was built in 2015 due to an expected influx of residents, according to the San Antonio Business Journal.

Why do the Texans love H-E-B?

According to Eater, while Texans may love H-E-B's "wildly dedicated" employees or "unique food products," it's really the store's ability to tap into Texas pride that gave it its loyal following. The fact the company has not expanded into the rest of the United States, remaining purely a Texas symbol, may also play a role, as H-E-B seeks to "outfit Texas families with all they need for Texas lifestyles."

Will H-E-B deliver out of state? Can I get H-E-B shipped to my house?

When H-E-B launched its online store in 2015, it allowed out-of-state residents to purchase more than 50,000 products, but it has since suspended out-of-state purchases since 2021. The company's website says the suspension is temporary.

In Texas, however, curbside and delivery service remain available.

Is the owner of H-E-B a billionaire?

There are multiple owners of the H-E-B empire, but the Butt family owns about 90 percent of the chain. H-E-B has an annual revenue of $34 billion, according to Forbes. It is also the largest private company in Texas and one of the state's largest employers.

Four members of the Butt family are billionaires and are worth a combined $14 billion. Two of the family members — Charles Butt and his sister Eleanor Butt — made Forbes' 2022 list of the 400 richest Americans and are worth $7.5 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively. Their nephews, Howard Butt III and Stephen Butt, are each worth $1.9 billion.

Where is the oldest H-E-B in Texas?

The first H-E-B store, initially known as the C.C. Butt Grocery store, was located in the 800 block of Main Street in Kerrville. While that location no longer stands, H-E-B built another store near the original.

Similarly, one of the oldest locations in San Antonio, at 4915 Broadway, was replaced by a more modern Central Market, a subsidiary of H-E-B. The Central Market is a block away from where the historic grocery store once stood.

What is H-E-B best known for?

As a dominant grocery chain in Texas, H-E-B is known for many things, from its coffee selection, including its Café Ole brand, to its house-made items like frozen pizzas, chicharrones and cheese puffs. H-E-B is also known for its creative takes on classic snacks, including apple pie-flavored potato chips. The chain also offers a diverse selection of hot food and ready-made meals, as well as being the chain where Whataburger products, such as the fast food chain's spicy ketchup, debuted for sale to the public.

Where does H-E-B rank in the world?

According to an annual national survey conducted at the end of 2021, H-E-B was the second-best grocery chain in the U.S. after Amazon, which includes Whole Foods. The survey of shoppers asked participants to rank stores based on categories including price, quality, convenience and speed. H-E-B was also named Grocer of the Year in 2020 for its pandemic response by the annual Dive Awards, a grocery industry publication.

shepard.price@express-news.net