Fair Oaks Ranch shoppers are about to get a whole lot more smoke and sauce with their weekly grocery run. H-E-B has filed plans for roughly a $2 million expansion at its Fair Oaks H-E-B in the Lemon Creek Ranch development, adding a True Texas BBQ restaurant and dine-in space to the already busy store. The state paperwork pegs the new build at about 4,465 square feet, attached as an addition to the existing building. Construction is slated to run from June 1 to Sept. 25 and while H-E-B has confirmed the project to local reporters, the company is keeping quiet on an official opening date.
Plans and filings
According to a new filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the project is registered under a TDLR project number and carries an estimated $2 million construction cost. As reported by MySA, the documents describe a 4,465-square-foot True Texas BBQ space that would mark the brand’s first location in the Boerne area.
True Texas BBQ's footprint and reputation
True Texas BBQ is H-E-B’s in-store smokehouse concept, dishing out chopped brisket, smoked turkey sandwiches, loaded baked potatoes and classic sides like creamed corn and potato salad. The brand has been steadily rolling out to H-E-B locations across Texas, quietly building a following among shoppers who want a plate of barbecue with their pantry staples. H-E-B points to praise from reviewers, including recognition referenced by Texas Monthly, as part of what keeps customers coming back to the in-store smokehouse.
What it means for the Hill Country
The new addition will give Lemon Creek Ranch another in-store dining anchor as the retail hub fills out, and it could add a convenient lunch and dinner option for drivers shuttling between San Antonio and Boerne. Lemon Creek Ranch bills itself as a 118-acre mixed-use development, and the Fair Oaks H-E-B that this project will expand opened in 2024 as the primary grocery anchor, as noted in coverage by the San Antonio Express-News.
For shoppers across the Hill Country, the planned barbecue counter means one more ready-made meal option at a store that already draws a regional crowd. H-E-B confirmed the True Texas BBQ expansion to MySA but declined to offer any additional timeline or menu details beyond what appears in the state filing.
