A company known for makeovers of legacy Fort Worth restaurants will take over the cafe in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, according to an announcement Tuesday.
The cafe in the garden’s 91-year-old Rock Springs building will close June 30 and will reopen in fall as Flora House, a new venture of Margie’s and Pulido’s owner Westland Hospitality.
Westland chef Juan Rodriguez of Magdalena’s, another of the company’s restaurants, will plan a new menu described as a “bold reimagining” of the cafe space that has operated in recent years as Rock Springs Cafe and previously as The Gardens Restaurant.
The new cafe will handle catering at garden events and will offer garden supper clubs, according to a joint announcement by the garden and Westland, which now runs 10 restaurants.
Westland Hospitality grew from JD’s Hamburgers, a successful effort by Gigi Howell, formerly of Reata Restaurant, and Bourke Harvey of Curly’s Frozen Custard.
The company has restored and reopened three Pulido’s restaurants and added a fourth. It also revamped Margie’s, a 70-plus-year-old Italian food landmark on Camp Bowie Boulevard West near JD’s.
Westland also operates West Side Cafe; Westland Gardens, a plant nursery and events center; a planned Westland Bar; and a planned Roy Pope restaurant in a former westside grocery.
Rock Springs Cafe has been operated by Dallas-based Kelcher Entertainment, which runs of six other bars and restaurants in Bedford and in the Dallas area. The Kelcher agreement will end June 30, a Garden spokesperson said.
The building in the Botanic Garden has operated as a restaurant since 1992 after more than 50 years as the garden headquarters and gift shop.
Flora House will be the new restaurant inside the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.