{"id":347058,"date":"2026-06-23T14:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T14:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/347058\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T14:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T14:08:10","slug":"flora-house-to-open-at-fort-worth-botanic-garden-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/347058\/","title":{"rendered":"Flora House to open at Fort Worth Botanic Garden restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

FORT WORTH<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The cafe in the garden\u2019s 91-year-old Rock Springs building will close June 30 and will reopen in fall as Flora House, a new venture of Margie\u2019s and Pulido\u2019s owner Westland Hospitality.<\/p>\n

Westland chef Juan Rodriguez of Magdalena\u2019s, another of the company\u2019s nine-now-10 restaurants, will plan a new menu described as a \u201cbold reimagining\u201d of the cafe space that has operated in recent years as Rock Springs Cafe and previously as The Gardens Restaurant.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Westland Hospitality grew from JD\u2019s Hamburgers, a successful effort by Gigi Howell, formerly of Reata Restaurant, and Bourke Harvey of Curly\u2019s Frozen Custard.<\/p>\n

The company has restored and reopened three Pulido\u2019s restaurants and added a fourth, and restored and reopened Margie\u2019s, a 70-plus-year-old Italian food landmark on Camp Bowie Boulevard West near JD\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Rock Springs Cafe has been operated by Dallas-based Kelcher Entertainment, operators of six other bars and restaurants in Bedford and in the Dallas area. The Kelcher agreement will end June 30, a Garden spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Flora Flora House will be the new restaurant inside the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Courtesy of Westland Hospitality and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden <\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 7:30 AM.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n


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Bud Kennedy is celebrating his 40th year writing about restaurants in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written the \u201cEats Beat\u201d dining column in print since 1985 and online since 1992 \u2014 that\u2019s more than 3,000 columns about Texas cafes, barbecue, burgers and where to eat.
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