by Bob Francis, Fort Worth Report
August 30, 2026

Some award-winning barbecue is headed to the Historic Northside. 

Panther City BBQ, which received a “recommended” honorific from the Michelin Guide and was named a top 10 Texas barbecue restaurant by Texas Monthly magazine, will lease the former site of La Playa Maya restaurant, a 6,463-square-foot building at 1540 N. Main St. 

La Playa opened in the location in 1988 and only recently closed it, though its three other locations remain open. 

Sarah LanCarte and Brittany Doyle of LanCarte Commercial represented the landlord in the transaction. 

“The existing restaurant infrastructure and location make 1540 N. Main Street a natural fit for Panther City BBQ’s expansion,” Doyle said. “It’s exciting to see a local operator continue to grow and take on a space with such a long history in the area.” 

Panther City BBQ was founded in Fort Worth and currently operates at 201 E. Hattie St. in the South Main Street district. 

Meanwhile, The Coop, a Memphis-based restaurant concept, has signed a lease for approximately 2,250 square feet at 1012 S. Main St. in Fort Worth’s South Main Village, close to Panther City BBQ’s original location. 

The Coop will fill the former Brix Barbecue space. The lease marks the concept’s first location in Texas and an expansion into Dallas-Fort Worth. 

Bailey Floyd, vice president at Hatfield Advisors, represented The Coop in the transaction. Rachel Forslund and Jake Burns of The Retail Connection represented the landlord.

The Coop plans to open soon, Floyd said. The concept will be that of an upscale wing bar with craft cocktails and other offerings. Key features of the location include a rooftop patio, two large downstairs patios and an enclosed smoke pit, he said. 

The building sat vacant after Brix Barbecue — a nationally recognized Fort Worth barbecue operation — served its final meal at the location on Aug. 17, 2025. The turnkey restaurant infrastructure left in place, combined with the address’s established reputation as a dining destination, made the space a rare find in one of Fort Worth’s tightest submarkets.

Terms of the lease were not disclosed.

Frog tequila 

Following the success of its two previous Horned Frog-themed bottles, Fort Worth-based La Pulga Tequila has debuted a new 2026 Horned Frogs Limited Edition Tequila Blanco. Also available for the first time is the Horned Frogs Three-Year Collection, a limited-edition boxed set featuring the commemorative bottles released since 2024.

La Pulga’s Horned Frog collection is limited to 100 individually numbered  box sets containing the complete series of commemorative bottles: the original sold-out 2024 purple-label edition, the 2025 black-label “blackout” edition and the new 2026 bottle. They’re available exclusively online at LaPulga.com for $179.99.

La Pulga’s Official Tequila of the Horned Frogs partnership with TCU Athletics includes offering the spirit in premium hospitality areas at Amon G. Carter Stadium during football season and at the Stuart Family Courtside Club at Schollmaier Arena during basketball season.

Industrial acquisition 

Northwest Commerce Park Building, a 266,152-square-foot Class A industrial property at 2765 Highway 114 in the AllianceTexas area, has been acquired by BGO and Alliance Industrial Company.  

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Logistics park 

NAI Robert Lynn has broken ground on Phase III at Northlake 35 Logistics Park, a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution building. Known as Building 7, the new facility will bring the park to more than 3.4 million total square feet, adding a rare large-block option to a market that has seen its supply of big-box buildings shrink sharply in recent years. NAI Robert Lynn is handling leasing of Phase III.

Separately, ground has been broken on buildings 5 and 6, located in Phase II of the park. Building 5 is a 125,407-square-foot shallow bay, rear-load facility. 

Northlake 35 Logistics Park is a joint venture between Clarion Partners and Falcon Commercial Development, creating one of the largest logistics campuses in the Alliance submarket and totaling almost 4 million square feet and nine buildings.

Do you have news for Bob on Business? Email business editor Bob Francis at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org

News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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