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About two years after a ravenous fire burned Texas French Bread’s 35-year-old restaurant, plans are in the works for it to be rebuilt.
Owner Murph Willcott announced on social media earlier this week that he plans to file an initial application for a building permit and anticipates having an open building permit in the next few weeks. Construction is expected to commence by July, with a reopening forecast for summer 2025.
In early 2022, a fire caused more than $1 million of damages at Texas French Bread's 2900 Rio Grande St. location that opened near the University of Texas campus in 1987. The beloved family-owned bakery was established in 1981 after Judy Willcott caught the attention of a restaurateur the year before by bringing her own baked bread to a Mardi Gras party. She eventually started a full-time business. Her son, Murph Willcott, assumed ownership of the restaurant in 2007.
Since the fire, Texas French Bread has been operating in multiple locations. It set up an Airstream trailer in its garden and also has weekend pop-ups at the Texas Farmers Market at Lakeline and Mueller Market, as well as home delivery options through Farmhouse Delivery and Table22.
Murph Willcott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The restaurant has tapped STG Design as its primary architect on the rebuild and Pollen Architecture & Design as its design consultants. Murph Willcott has shared renderings of the planned rebuild in a newsletter announcement.
He submitted a filing to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on May 9 that reveals preliminary plans for reconstruction of the existing brick building. The project entails structurally bracing existing brick walls, a new slab, a new roof and interior finish-out of the dining area, the kitchen, the office and the restrooms.
Construction on the roughly 5,300-square-foot restaurant is estimated to cost $3 million, according to the TDLR filing. TDLR filings are subject to change.
