UPDATED: June, 20, 2017 at 11:36 a.m. EST
It's been nearly a month since Chip and Jo tore down Elite Cafe's iconic red-letter sign and left us wondering what name would replace it. This morning, Jo finally took to her blog to tell us, and we're not shocked at all. The soon-to-be Waco staple will be called Magnolia Table, taking on that same flowery mascot that all the Gaines' businesses have. "To us, this name embodies the idea that here everyone has a seat at the table," she wrote.
And if you care less about the name than what kind of great dishes they'll be serving, you're in luck, too. Jo went on to share that the joint will be open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch, and you can expect to see a lot of Chip's favorite morning bites on the menu. They've been recipe testing like crazy, and some office favorites have emerged: the farm eggs benedict, some homemade pies, and something called the Gaines Brothers Burger. If Chip's favorite meal is any indication, that baby's going to be extra glutinous.
There have been a few construction setbacks, which would explain why the restaurant's projected completion date has come and gone — without a completed restaurant — but Jo insists everyone's trying their hardest to finish up by the end of the year. Until then, we'll be obsessively stalking Instagram, where she says they'll be posting occasional updates.
ORIGINAL POST: May 25, 2017 at 2:11 p.m. EST
Ever since Chip and Jo confirmed their plans to turn Waco's beloved Elite Café into a restaurant last year, we've been waiting … and waiting … and waiting for updates. We blame Fixer Upper for our impatience: The show packs each months-long house hunt, renovation, and reveal into one hour, so we've come to expect all of Chip and Jo's projects to be completed on that fake TV timeline. Jo provided a little solace with this Instagram back in January, but some eagle-eyed locals just spied the first visible change since then.
The iconic red-letter "Elite" sign atop the café was torn down earlier this week. And knowing Chip's love for demoing the hell out of everything, we were shocked to see someone other than him up on the roof doing the job. Maybe he's busy coming up with recipes for the place. In a blog post, Joanna revealed, "Chip has wanted a breakfast joint for years and he finally found the perfect spot for it, and I'm not going to lie, he is also super excited about serving ham sandwiches and bacon."
In that some post, she promised construction would wrap and the restaurant would open by the end of 2017. But, uh, Chip and Jo: We're ready to see this fixer upper — now!
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