NEW BIZ: True Texas BBQ restaurant opens at Marble Falls HEB
True Texas BBQ Manager Brenda Holder (center) snips the ribbon at the grand opening of the restaurant at H-E-B in Marble Falls. Holder is flanked by H-E-B staff and management, who turned out in force to support the newest addition to their growing grocery store. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
True Texas BBQ at H-E-B in Marble Falls held its grand opening at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 12. This will be the fourth True Texas BBQ in Central Texas and the 20th location companywide.
“We’re very proud of this new business in our company, and it is doing very well for us,” said Rudy Gill, general manager of Marble Falls H-E-B. “We’re just glad to be able to bring it to Marble Falls.”
True Texas BBQ is a restaurant chain owned and operated by H-E-B. Locations are typically attached to H-E-B grocery stores. In 2019, it was named The Best Barbecue Chain in Texas by Texas Monthly.
Construction began in February and was finished in July. The True Texas BBQ team has been training in the kitchen and at the smoker for weeks in preparation of the grand opening.
“All the meat is smoked here,” said Don Rhine, a multi-unit supervisor for H-E-B. “A pitmaster comes in at 5 o’clock in the morning, and they start loading in the brisket, ribs, and turkey. It’s really a cool concept. They’re very efficient in the kitchen.”
The new restaurant is 1,540 square-feet and includes shaded outdoor seating and two TVs.
Also on Friday, H-E-B donated $1,500 to Marble Falls Middle School. Marble Falls Independent School District Superintendent Chris Allen was there to receive the check. The middle school is across the street from the grocery store.
All of the products used at True Texas BBQ come from H-E-B. The meats on the menu are all natural and smoked on location for 14 hours over post oak wood.
Customers can order at a kiosk or online via the True Texas BBQ app. In the future, multiple unmanned digital kiosks will be available so multiple customers can order at once.
The first customer in line for the grand opening was Hermina Gonzales, a Bluffton resident who does all of her shopping at H-E-B. She’s at the store at least twice a week and has been waiting for True Texas BBQ to open.
“My husband said, ‘Just go over there and get you some and get me some, too!’” Gonzales said.
For being first in line, Gill, the general manager, and Barbecue Manager Brenda Holder presented Gonzales with a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant.
Holder snipped the ribbon alongside H-E-B staff, and the lauded True Texas BBQ was open for business.