PJ's Coffee of New Orleans is set to open a new storefront at 11510 FM 1488, Ste. 100, in Magnolia, with construction scheduled to begin November 30 and run through February 26, 2027. The 1,700-square-foot shop carries an estimated construction cost of $225,000, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation submitted October 15.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, first reported by Community Impact, concerns a planned interior renovation for the shop.
The new café will sit inside Magnolia Crossing, a $2.1 million commercial development from Houston-based Palo Duro Commercial Partners scheduled to begin construction August 15, 2026, near several Magnolia ISD campuses, as detailed by My Neighborhood News. Placing the 24,100-square-foot retail complex near school campuses and expanding master-planned residential communities positions PJ's to capture steady foot traffic from families and commuters alike.
A French Quarter Formula Comes to Suburban Montgomery County
PJ's describes itself as a national retail coffee chain specializing in roasting methods inspired by New Orleans' French Quarter, per the Community Impact report. The Magnolia shop is expected to serve frozen granitas, muffins, breakfast sandwiches and fresh-baked beignets, the same report notes. The chain's signature product remains its special cold-drip brewing process, distinct from its 24-hour cold-brew process, which uses coarsely ground beans steeped in water; the cold-drip beverage is two-thirds less acidic than traditional hot brewing, according to Ballard Brands.
Ballard Brands, the hospitality parent company that has owned PJ's Coffee since 2008 through an entity created by brothers Paul, Steven, and Scott Ballard, oversees multiple restaurant and retail concepts beyond the coffee chain, according to Biz New Orleans. The Magnolia location would add to a Texas footprint that already includes 24 stores statewide and nine across Greater Houston, with corporate expansion plans targeting up to 60 Houston-area locations, per WhatNow.
The company has used similar real-estate strategies elsewhere in Texas, including an eighth San Antonio-area shop that opened a 1,600-square-foot drive-thru on U.S. 281 North in March, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News.
Magnolia's Coffee Shop Boom Keeps Growing
PJ's joins a growing list of specialty coffee shops competing for daily suburban commuters in western Montgomery County, including Third Gen Coffee, which registered state plans in May 2026 for a new Magnolia café along FM 2978 — a project Hoodline previously covered as it broke.
Sweetwaters was planned to open a drive-thru coffee and tea shop on Honea Egypt Road in Magnolia in mid- to late July, a project Hoodline reported on earlier this year. Community Impact, which first broke the PJ's filing news, says it plans to update the story as more information becomes available. No additional details on a grand opening date or franchisee leadership have been disclosed beyond the TDLR filing.
