BLOG POST: WACO, TEXAS. February 27, 2016.

Goodbye. And Hello.

WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY: STEVE HOLLOWAY

UPDATED MARCH 24, 2021. When I was growing up, my parents would travel from San Antonio to my Grandmother’s house in Tioga, Texas north of Dallas-Fort Worth.

One vivid memory I have is of The Elite Café in Waco. Located about half way between San Antonio and Tioga, The Elite became our family’s stop along the way.

With all this history, my wife and I made this a must stop anytime we were in or near Waco.

So you can imagine how surprised we were to pull up to the front door in February of 2016 and find a notice that the family who owned and operated The Elite, had decided they had to close down.

We were in a little bit in shock. Even though The Elite had changed over the years, they still kept a lot of the historic photos from the 1950s on display and we did have a history developed over the years making this feel more like losing a friend than just losing a high point to our North Texas trips.

WACO, TEXAS. March 29, 2019.

Fast forward three years.

Time can do great things And, in this case, time gave Chip and Joanna Gaines the opportunity to acquire, remodel and keep the spirit of The Elite alive.

We’ve been to the new “Elite”, the Magnolia Table, and think the original owners would be proud of the newest version of this Waco classic. From design, to décor, to atmosphere, to food, they have made this a Waco must see, must do again. 

Handy tip we learned from the locals, be there at 7:00am if you want a short wait time. We got there at 7 sharp and only waited 15 minutes. As we were leaving, people were everywhere and the wait was about an hour.

The Elite Cafe / Magnolia Table, 2132 S Valley Mills Dr, Waco, Texas

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