BELTON, Texas (KWTX) – Crews are busy putting the finishing touches on Belton’s MKT train depot to transform it into a new commercial space.
For business owners, the new development is offering some second chances and other new opportunities.
Jay Williams and his wife, Christy, are preparing to open Railroad Express Diner, a train-themed restaurant.
“Finishing with this building fits with what we’ve been talking about, which is to take you back in time,” Williams said.
The couple owns a food truck, WAT THE TRUCK, but this will be their first full-service restaurant.
“We use the food truck to order pickup,” Williams said. “We have to prepare a seat for this.”
The new restaurant will convert the ticket booth into a kitchen and have the original floors from when the depot was built in 1899.
In front of the depot, Andrew Johnson is on the fast track to turning a box truck into a hot cookie company.
“To have an opportunity like this to be in this amazing space with all these other businesses, it’s amazing,” he said.
Johnson hit the brakes and closed the first Temple Cookie Shop in August.
“Our inventory has gone up, and it’s been difficult staffing it, making sure we have enough employees in the store,” he said.
He said this new location will allow him to focus on a more limited menu and operate with a smaller staff.
“With our pricing structure, it allows us to be more generous and provide an affordable and more enjoyable experience,” Johnson said.
It’s full steam ahead for Johnson and Williams as they work to nail down the final bells and whistles.
“It’s been fun to be able to handle it a little bit differently as we take the next step of serving, and that’s something we’ve really been looking for,” Williams said.
Rail Express Dinner opens Friday. Johnson said Warm Cookie Company should open sometime in February. The MKT train depot will be home to a bookstore bar, coffee shop and Puerto Rican restaurant.
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