What Waco Officials Really Think of Chip and Joanna's New Restaurant (2024)

After investing $1.4 million in renovations for their Magnolia Market at the Silos property, Chip and Joanna Gaines are tackling another big restoration in Waco that's costing them millions more.

The couple is in the process of renovating Waco's historic Elite Cafe and transforming it into their new restaurant Magnolia Table, a project estimated to cost them $2 million, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald. The couple purchased the landmark in 2016 and now they're working with local Texas groups to rehab the structure.

To get their new restaurant ready for opening day, Chip and Joanna are working alongside the Texas Historical Commission to ensure their plans comply with preservation guidelines. While new features will be added—and we're sure there will be plenty of Joanna's signature design elements inside—the organization wants to make sure the new look doesn't "create a false sense of historical development."

"For whatever is new, it needs to be clear that it's not trying to be part of the original structure," Marylaine Driese, the advisory board chairwoman, told the Waco Tribune-Herald. "It sounds strange, but they want it to be clear where the addition is."

New features to the 1941 building include a new roofline, windows, awnings, doors, and marquee sign. "I love the way the building looks, and I think they've done a very good job of keeping it recognizable," Marylaine said.

While the pair never announced an official opening day, they were hopeful it would open sometime this year. "There have been a few setbacks along the way (as there are with every construction project), but we're on the home stretch," Joanna wrote on her Magnolia Market blog. "We are setting our sights on opening at the end of this year." But now, local officials are predicting the opening to take place in early 2018. Chip, we're ready for breakfast whenever you are!

(h/t Waco Tribune-Herald)