Former owners’ son hopes to open by February

It’s official: Tolly’s Time Out is coming back.

Brian Tollefson announced he will reopen the longtime Austin restaurant, previously owned by his parents, David and Peggy Tollefson. Brian, who hopes to open the doors by February 2013, said the diner will have its original menu, including steaks, ribs, fish, and its famous soups. It will be open for lunch and dinner, and will have a bar, too.

“We’re going back to the way it was, the original Tolly’s,” Brian said. “Everyone we’ve talked to has said they are excited, and say this is what [Austin] needs.”

David opened Tolly’s, at 100 14th St. SW, in 1984. In 2006, he sold it to Jim Herrick, who turned it into an Italian steakhouse, before closing it in May 2011. Julie Johnson opened the restaurant as Home Plate in December 2011, but the doors were closed again by April, and it’s remained closed since.

David passed away in 2009, but the property has remained in Peggy’s name, and will continue to do so as her son runs the Austin landmark. While Brian said he had been considering opening the diner for several months, he didn’t dive in until about a month ago.