AUSTIN, Texas — A Central Texas bakery is hoping to reopen its doors next summer.
Texas French Bread (TFB) – known for its sandwiches, pastries and variety of baked goods – has been serving its customers from a temporary location ever since a fire burned its original building to the ground in 2022.
Recently, the bakery announced plans to start construction on a new building in July, with the hope of reopening to the public in a year's time.
"Looking forward to the day we can invite everyone back into the space," TFB posted to Facebook earlier this month.
The bistro shared photos of its vision for the new building, complete with indoor and outdoor seating and a back shelf full of pastries.
2022 fire and the Texas French Bread building's history
In early 2022, mechanical issues reportedly started an accidental fire at the historic TFB building, located at 2900 Rio Grande Street.
The Austin Fire Department responded to the scene, but the building's roof eventually caved in, causing more than $1 million in total damages.
A GoFundMe was started to raise money for the business, eventually surpassing its $100,000 goal.
Later the same year, TFB owner Murph Wilcott found a temporary home for his bistro: the Texas French Bread Garden near the original parking lot. He has been serving customers in that location ever since, offering menu items from a trailer with benches nearby.
The TFB building itself has a lengthy history, previously operating as a grocery store, an Italian restaurant called The Rome Inn, a book store and a punk club called Studio 29.
In 1986, it became home to TFB, which began building its reputation as an Austin classic.
Almost two years after the fire, the beloved spot is now looking to continue its history with a new, modern building.