Owners plan to turn Fort Worth’s beloved Roy Pope Grocery into a restaurant. Residents have concerns about parking.
Amanda McCoy
amccoy@star-telegram.com
Fort Worth has cleared the way for the historic Roy Pope Grocery building to become a restaurant and bar under new ownership. The approval came over parking objections from some nearby residents.
Here are key takeaways:
The Fort Worth City Council approved the zoning change on Sept. 29 to convert the 83-year-old grocery at 2300 Merrick St. into a restaurant and bar, with only District 11 council member Jeanette Martinez absent from the unanimous vote.Westland Hospitality Group, owner of JD’s Hamburgers, Curly’s Frozen Custard and West Side Cafe, plans to reopen the site as the Roy Pope restaurant with a contemporary Southern Americana menu including steaks, seafood and the neighborhood’s legacy “Mac salad.”The Fort Worth Zoning Commission had recommended denial on Sept. 9 because the site offered 34 parking spaces when 72 were required, but the owner later added 50 shared spots about a block south for valet, employee and customer use between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.Managing partner Bourke Harvey, a former Roy Pope grocery sacker, said the chef will be Levi Gardner of Margie’s Italian Gardens, another Fort Worth restaurant revitalized by Westland.Some residents remained opposed at the council meeting, with Candace Fyfe telling members that having the West Byers Neighborhood Association “littered with cars because there’s not sufficient parking is unacceptable.”Roy Pope Grocery opened in 1943, closed in 2020 and briefly reopened in 2021 as a gourmet market and deli before struggling against grocery delivery services and nearby competition from Central Market.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.