The future of Texas French Bread was uncertain after a fire destroyed the campus-area restaurant and bakery earlier this year. But in great news for gingerbread cookie fans and chicken salad sandwich connoisseurs, the beloved bakery is making a return.

Texas French Bread (TFB) took to social media on May 31 first and foremost to thank the Austin community for its ongoing support in the wake of the January fire.

“Your generosity allowed us precious time to process and grieve,” the post reads. “And the donations financed severance pay and extended health insurance coverage for TFB staff in the weeks after the fire. We truly cannot thank you enough for your generosity and support.”

In even better news, the post also announced the lease of a new commissary space in northeast Austin, which will allow TFB to relaunch wholesale bakery operations. This not only means that baked goods will soon return to coffee shop counters around the city, but also that TFB will eventually be able to reestablish booths at several local farmers markets with home delivery options in conjunction with Farmhouse Delivery.

Texas French Bread celebrated 40 years of business in Austin last year, a feat shared by few local businesses. Founded in 1981 by Judy Wilcott, the bakery once boasted 11 locations around the city (one bakery outpost is now the South Congress hot spot June's All Day). When Wilcott's son, Murph, took over the business, he zeroed in on the bakery's wholesale operations and historic West Campus location. The 1939 building at West 29th and Rio Grande streets once housed the legendary Rome Inn, where artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Lou Ann Barton played.

While plans for the West Campus building remain uncertain, the post encourages followers to stay tuned — and we certainly will.

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