WACO, Texas (FOX/KWKWT) — After the devastating fire that took Café Homestead in 2022, FOX 44 News has been following the progress of the new rebuild and what plans are in store for the community.

Nearly four months later, the Homestead Café rebuild is just months away from completion. General Manager Andrew Taylor shared some of the big changes he’s seen in a short amount of time.

“This new building is moving along at lightning speed. What you’re seeing behind me is less than two months worth of work,” said Taylor. “The restaurant, as you can tell, is a little bit bigger than the old one. And that is by design. In order to provide a lot more seating, we can seat practically double the amount that we could from the old Café.”

The restaurant will showcase classic Café Homestead features such as a porch and wooden structures – which give off that cozy Homestead feel.

The restaurant is anticipated to be completed by June 5, with plans of a grand opening event in the short days following. In the meantime, you can visit the Café’s temporary location.

Fully-staffed and prepared for the new Café venue, those currently working at the temporary restaurant site are eager to serve guests and visitors at the new build.

Café employee’s have played a large part in the construction process, as well.

“We had really outgrown our old restaurant. The crowds were getting a lot bigger. So to have it redesigned for the work flow that we need to serve, the kind of crowds we’ve been getting, it’s going to be really great,” said Café Homestead Staff Member Joel Lancaster.

You can find more information on dine-in hours for the temporary Café by visiting here.