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About us

Where Foodies celebrate every day.

What makes Central Market one of the freshest markets in the country? Try a sumptuous selection of everything edible, for starters. We go straight to the source to bring you some of the finest foods Texas and the rest of the world have to offer. With hundreds of cheeses, thousands of wines, acres of produce, and aisles of experts, Central Market is for everyone really into food.

But our commitment beyond the plate is the real reason we’re a cut above. We believe food is a way of uniting families and communities to one collective dinner table, of preserving our cultures and our traditions. And that is something that should be celebrated every day. Each of our stores is a market in the truest sense – a place to exchange not only goods and services but also ideas. With community rooms, cooking classes, live music, and much more at every location, we spend every day celebrating what food is all about: bringing people together.

We do this through our commitment to offering an unmatched selection of domestic and imported goods, classes to educate you about new and traditional cooking techniques, celebrations of different foods throughout the year, visits from world-renowned chefs, special Foodie finds that are unique to our market, services that make occasions extra special, outstanding customer service, and, of course, the right prices.

We believe that your shopping list should be more like a Foodie bucket list. When you walk down our aisles, we hope you will be inspired to feed your curiosity and grow your own passion for food.

H-E-B and Central Market: Cultivating our roots.

In 1992, Charles Butt acquired a special piece of property on the corner of 38 1/2 Street and Lamar in Austin. His goal was to build not just another grocery store, but a destination market that would turn food shopping into a culinary adventure by providing unparalleled products and customer service. He turned to John Campbell, whose 30-year career at H-E-B began as a store checker, to make it all happen.

Campbell’s quest to create a different kind of grocery store took him to the world’s finest markets for inspiration. On his journey, he had an epiphany. Rather than carry products that customers could find almost anywhere, he decided Central Market would feature a wide array of foods never before offered in Texas.

H-E-B opened the first Central Market in Austin in 1994. It was quickly dubbed “an amusement park for food lovers.” The European-style fresh market concept amazed shoppers and chefs alike, and the store quickly became one of Austin’s most popular tourist destinations. In fact, it boasts an average of 2 million visitors each year!

After years of witnessing customers drive hundreds of miles to stock up on fantastic food finds at the original Central Market, H-E-B decided to bring the Central Market experience to San Antonio, Houston, and a second location in Austin. By 2002, Central Market had added three more stores in Dallas, Plano, and Fort Worth, each one a fun and unique addition to the Central Market family.

In 2006, the eighth Central Market opened in Southlake, increasing the company’s presence in North Texas. A ninth store was added to the corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane in Dallas in 2012. Each debut of a Central Market location has attracted national attention for its innovative grocery experience that brings a must-have quality-of-life enhancement for food lovers.

The Central Market Experience: Encounter your own eatery epiphany.

Central Market is the place that brings everyone together for one reason: a love for food. If you haven’t been, we invite you to come explore. You’ll please all five senses with new sights, smells, and tastes from our fresh coffees, just-baked breads, assortment of cheeses, racks of wines, and peak-of-season produce. Our appetite for the freshest products knows no bounds, and our commitment to customer service is unrivaled.

Whether you’ve just boiled your first pot of water or you own your own restaurant, you’ll find that Central Market is the destination for new food experiences and delights.

Home / About Us / Our Commitment

Our Commitment

It’s all about you. And food.

Our mission is simple: to bring our fellow Foodies the freshest products, the best service, and the knowledge to make cooking – and eating – a joy. Our dedication to quality is so strong that no sale is final. You won’t find that in any other grocery store. And we welcome feedback and suggestions of all kinds. Open, honest communication only makes Central Market a better experience for you.

We reveal our sources.

Central Market’s procurement team travels the world – literally – in search of the best products. New foods are discovered and shipped daily, and everything we find must deliver on freshness, quality, variety, and value or it doesn’t find its way onto our shelves.

Hands-on buying of palate-pleasing products.

“Inspected by” stickers don’t usually show up on our products, but you can bet that our hands-on, in-house buyers have personally procured and approved everything you see in our aisles. Unlike conventional grocery stores, we work directly with farms, wineries, dairies, fishermen, ranchers, and kitchens to bring you the best.

Class is always in session.

Our hunger for Foodie knowledge never quits. So we fill that craving with classes at the Culinary Institute of America and other notable institutions. We also visit vineyards, farms, fishing boats, and dairies and ask lots of questions. That way we are better able to answer yours.

Edible souvenirs from around the world.

Out of the 195 countries in the world (by most counts), Central Market carries products from nearly all of them. That variety simply can’t be matched, and we’re proud to give you more choices for more delicious dishes.

Customer Feedback

Talk to us, even with your mouth full.

We only get better with your comments, questions, and suggestions. If you’d like to talk, we’re listening.

Careers

Are you really into food? Then you’ll love working here!

Start a fulfilling career working with like-minded food lovers who are passionate about what they do.

Search for Jobs >

Home / About Us / Our Foodies

Our Foodies

So what on earth is a Foodie anyway?

This special taste task force has dedicated themselves to tasting and learning about food and sharing that knowledge. They can answer questions about the most obscure cheeses to the most exotic spices, and they show you where to get them in our store. Bring in a recipe, and they’ll suggest wine pairing ideas to make that meal perfect. Whatever your needs, Foodies are ready to help. And they’re easy to spot when you’re exploring our stores. Just look for the green-and-white-striped aprons.

Careers

Are you really into food? Then you’ll love working here!

Start a fulfilling career working with like-minded food lovers who are passionate about what they do.

Search for Jobs >

Home / About Us / Community Involvement

Community Involvement

Feeding communities in more ways than one.

At Central Market, we tailor our stores to reflect the vibrant communities they serve. It’s how we plant deep roots and cultivate long-term relationships. In fact, we conduct a wide range of efforts geared toward helping the community and the environment.

Our Partners – that’s how we refer to our hard-working employees – share our sense of responsibility. Because of this, we encourage and support Partner volunteerism. Working with our customers, we contribute countless hours to help friends and neighbors in nonprofits, community organizations, and civic improvement projects.

Together with our parent company, H-E-B, Central Market donates 5 percent of pretax earnings annually to charitable organizations committed to making a difference in Texas communities. Our areas of focus include education, hunger relief, health, disaster relief, diversity, volunteerism, and the environment.

We’re proud to support initiatives like our annual Feast of Sharing dinners, our Help End Hunger campaign to support area food banks, and our continued partnership with our customers to raise money for EarthShare Texas.

Are you seeking support for your initiative? Then please fill out a community partnership application, available at any of our Central Market stores. Because of the volume of requests we receive, it’s important to allow a minimum of six weeks for a response. You can aid our review time by being as specific as possible and providing all necessary documentation.

Feast of Sharing

The Feast of Sharing originated in Laredo and Corpus Christi in 1989 and serves free, hot holiday meals to the less fortunate in 27 communities throughout Texas and Mexico. On average, one Feast of Sharing event equals 3,000 pounds of sliced turkey, 2,500 pounds of cornbread dressing, 750 pumpkin pies, 380 gallons of mashed potatoes, 140 gallons of turkey gravy, and 95 gallons of cranberry sauce. In addition to a holiday meal, participants enjoy music, arts and crafts, and kids’ activities. Being involved in this program is one of the highlights of the year for Central Market.

Fort Worth, Amon Carter Exhibit Hall at Will Rogers Memorial Center, November 6, 2012
Dallas, Centennial Building at Fair Park, November 8, 2012

Feast of Sharing PDF