UPDATE 9/2/16: It's official! Chip and Joanna Gaines just confirmed their plans to convert Elite Café into a restaurant in 2017, they said in a press release.
While we know Chip loves a good demo day, it seems they plan to kick this renovation off a bit differently. "When considering what we would do with the contents of The Elite, including the iconic sign and blue Cadillac, we decided to auction off the contents in an effort to give the Waco community a chance to bring a piece of this historic landmark home," explained the press release. All proceeds will be donated to Mission Waco's new initiative to bring more affordable groceries to North Waco.
Considering how much success Chip and Joanna's new bakery has already had since opening in late February, a restaurant makes perfect sense for the Gaineses. According to our sister site Delish, The Bakery at the Silos already sells 2,500 cookies a week—so just imagine how many people are stopping buy to taste the strawberry cupcake, their bestseller and Chip's personal favorite.
Already home renovation superstars, it seems Chip and Joanna's next goal is to take the food world by storm. (Admittedly, we wouldn't object to a Fixer Upper cooking show!)
Take a behind-the-scenes look at the bakery below:
Our favorite part of the space? The cute and cheeky word art, such as the "today's a good day for a good treat" sign. We can't wait to see what they come up with for Elite Café's new design (and don't even get us started on our hopes for the menu!).
Original Post 5/11/16: Chip and Joanna Gaines have so many projects in the works, we can't help but think they've already done it all. But leave it to the stars of HGTV'sFixer Upper to prove us wrong: Chip and Joanna have reportedly purchased the historic Elite Cafe, located on Waco's traffic circle.
Could this mean Chip and Joanna are opening their own cafe? It certainly sounds like it.
The couple's spokesman, Brock Murphy, confirmed the purchase to the Waco Tribune, but no further information has been released. However, fans have been quick to guess that Chip and Joanna will open a restaurant in the space.
It wouldn't be Joanna's first foray into the world of food—Magnolia Flour, her bakery at the Silos storefront, is set to open this spring.
[facebook ]https://www.facebook.com/elitewaco/photos/a.101506... data-width="800"[/facebook]
Elite Cafe dates back 97 years, when it was a popular stop for those traveling between Dallas and Austin—even Elvis Presley had been spotted there. The restaurant was also frequented by students of Baylor University, Chip and Joanna's alma mater. But the restaurant more recently fell on hard times, and shut down last February due to low sales.
Renovations are set to begin in 2017. And since Chip and Joanna featured their B&B and the silos on Fixer Upper, we're hoping to get a glimpse into the shiplap-filled process in an upcoming season. We've already got some ideas about what could be on the menu.
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