Waffle House has a second restaurant project planned in Waco, this one at 722 South Seventh Street near downtown. A new state construction filing provides details for the Seventh Street proposal, which is separate from the chain’s previously reported project on South New Road.
The proposed restaurant would occupy a vacant parcel just south of Clay Avenue. TCM previously reported on a separate Waffle House planned for 2301 South New Road. Both locations remain proposed, and neither has a verified opening date.
A Vacant Seventh Street Parcel Moves Toward Restaurant Use
City planning documents identify the 0.707-acre site within the Downtown Neighborhood Association area. In case Z-26-24, applicant Eric Givens, representing Waffle House, sought to change the zoning from O-2 Office Residence to C-2 Community Commercial.
That change matters because it addresses how the land can be used. It does not, by itself, establish an approved building design, a construction start or a restaurant opening date. The city’s August 4 council packet connects the Waffle House request to this exact Seventh Street parcel.
How the Waffle House Waco Rezoning Advanced
The Waco Plan Commission recommended the rezoning on July 14, 2026, and the City Council approved its first reading on August 4. Both votes were 6–0, according to city records.
The draft August 18 council minutes, attached to the September 1 agenda, record another 6–0 vote on the second reading. Rezoning permits the proposed land use but does not itself authorize construction.
The city’s case analysis also identifies a site-specific engineering consideration: the property lies wholly within the mapped 100-year floodplain. That is a development constraint to address through engineering review, not evidence that the restaurant has been canceled or that construction has been authorized.
What the New Construction Filing Adds
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation registration, filed November 2, lists a new 1,840-square-foot restaurant with an estimated construction cost of $300,000. Waffle House Inc. is identified as the owner, with Mark D. Pavey listed as the architect.
Its estimated construction window runs from September 1, 2027, through February 29, 2028. Those dates describe a filed construction schedule, not a confirmed groundbreaking or grand opening. An opening day for the Seventh Street restaurant has not been verified.
The state filing’s 1,840-square-foot figure describes the proposed restaurant, rather than the entire parcel.
Two Waco Addresses, Separate Timelines
TCM’s earlier story covers 2301 South New Road, where a separate filing lists a March–August 2027 construction window. The Seventh Street proposal has its own address and later estimated schedule. Matching restaurant sizes and cost estimates do not make the two registrations duplicates.
Together, the records point to two planned Waco projects. However, construction estimates cannot establish which restaurant will open first, or guarantee that Seventh Street will be the second operating Waco location.
What Comes Next for Waco’s Two Waffle House Projects
City records include an aerial map of the Seventh Street parcel, but no verified design rendering for the proposed restaurant. The Seventh Street filing lists construction from September 2027 to February 2028, while the South New Road filing projects an earlier March–August 2027 window.
Taken together, the filings indicate two distinct Waffle House projects in Waco, each moving through its own development timeline. Neither projected construction schedule guarantees an opening date, and further city permits or company announcements will be needed to establish when either restaurant will welcome customers.