According to the Facebook page Newk's Waco, TX - Opens, Newk's will be opening at 11 a.m. on April 18 in Central Texas Marketplace.
So finally at long last we will be able to eat a sandwich or a salad or perhaps even a pizza or indulge in a dessert pastry right here in town and specifically at Central Texas Marketplace.
But, wait, isn't that exactly the type of thing we might do at Panera Bread at Central Texas Marketplace? In fact, Newk's is practically in the shadow of Panera or, depending on the time of day, Panera would be in the shadow of Newk's. Seriously, the stores are about 100 yards apart. If Newk's ever played Panera in football, I have a pretty good idea where they would play.
All kidding aside, I'm excited about Newk's coming to town, even if they don't stage a cafe-versus-cafe football game with Panera. Here's why. Once upon a time, I met friends for Sunday lunch at Panera, only the cafe wasn't big enough to accommodate the Sunday lunch crowd coupled with Baylor co-eds who had set up their lap tops and text books as one-person study areas at six-person tables. I vowed not to eat there at Sunday lunch again. But now there's an alternative for both the lunch crowd and the Baylor co-eds. (Is the term co-ed antiquated and/or chauvinistic? It has to be better than silly Baylor girl who is taking up too much space especially considering she ordered a bagel and a water.)
When it comes to cafes or delis, apparently there's no such thing as too many. We have three McAlister's, two Schmaltz's, two Schlotzsky's, a Jason's and a Panera — not to mention 13 Subways.
