Waffle House #20623

A new 1,840-square-foot Waffle House restaurant is slated for construction at 34947 S. U.S. Highway 96 in Buna, Texas. The project, filed as Waffle House #20623, represents a new construction effort by Waffle House, Inc. on private land in Jasper County. The estimated cost for this build is $300,000, which translates to $163 per square foot.

Mark D. Pavey, AIA, serves as the architect of record for this development. Brian Gary Stanton is the registered accessibility specialist listed on the filing. TDLR completed the plan review phase in March 2026. Construction is scheduled to start in March 2027 and is scheduled to finish in July 2027.

Project Context and Comparisons

This $300,000 investment is below the median estimated cost for new construction filings in Jasper County, which stands at $785,208. The 1,840-square-foot size is significantly smaller than the county median of 7,412 square feet for similar filings. However, the cost per square foot of $163 is close to the county median of $156. The scheduled build window of 151 days is close to the county median of 181 days for new construction projects.

Waffle House, Inc. has six other TDLR-registered projects totaling $1,800,000, including locations in Waco, Splendora, Anna, Fort Worth, and Little Elm. The same design firm, Mark D. Pavey, AIA, has worked on six other projects totaling $1,800,000, including sites in Waco, Splendora, Anna, Fort Worth, and Kingwood. This pattern indicates a standardized approach to these specific restaurant builds across Texas.

The local ZIP code 77612 has a population of about 9,152 according to Census estimates. The median household income in this area is $63,683, and the median owner-occupied home value is $109,200. Housing in this region is predominantly owner-occupied. The Jasper County unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in June 2026, higher than a year earlier.