After a two-year restoration, the historic French Legation in downtown Austin is reopening with the addition of a new café in the visitors center, thanks to a partnership with FOODWORKS, a Chicago-based foodservice organization that specializes in unique dining solutions.
The new café powered by FOODWORKS will allow visitors to stop at the coffee bar or grab a variety of quick bites and sweets while checking out the gift shop for mementos for friends and family. The FOODWORKS mobile app will be available for easy online ordering from the café and visitors center, where guests can purchase tickets and snacks while maintaining necessary social distancing.
Last year, FOODWORKS launched its first Market Cafe in New York City, followed closely by Chicago. Market Cafe was designed as a localized and customizable dining experience to fit the current workforce climate, offering a streamlined concept and modern technology to allow corporations and businesses to offer delicious dining options to employees and guests in their buildings without the same operational costs of a full-service cafe.
This partnership between FOODWORKS and the Texas Historical Commission represents a new type of project for the Market Cafe concept—moving away from the corporate setting to revamp the beauty of a historical building with modern technology and an adaptable dining solution to fit the guests needs. The new café and visitors center make a great addition to the historic structure and landscape, providing a new but familiar destination where people in the community and visitors can come together.
The public is welcome to stop by for the Grand Reopening of the French Legation Historic Site on October 30, 2021. During this time, The Café will also be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be guided tours made by reservation at the top of the hour, self-guided tours, scavenger hunts, and a coloring station perfect for any age. The land features two acres of rolling lawns and beautiful greenery surrounding the front porch, where visitors can gather to see the stunning view of Austin’s skyline and catch a glimpse of the Texas State Capitol Building.
