Opening News

Roy Pope Grocery in West Fort Worth bounces back in exciting reboot

The grocery will open with culinary director and acclaimed chef Bria Downey.

Courtesy photo

UPDATE 5-10-2021: The store will open on Tuesday, May 11 at 7 am, per a Facebook post.

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Independent grocer Roy Pope Grocery, a West Fort Worth institution for 77 years, is poised for a rebound with new owners, a new look, and a new foodie-esque slate of goods and services including coffee bar, wine bar, and fancy patio.

The landmark neighborhood grocery store will reopen in a renovated landmark at 2300 Merrick St., just a few steps off Camp Bowie's historic red bricks. According to a release, the reopening will happen in May.

Roy Pope sadly closed in April 2020, after being in business since 1943. But former owners Bob and Renee Larance subsequently found a new group to take over the store, its name, and its recipes. The new team includes restaurateur Lou Lambert (Dutch's Hamburgers, as well as several restaurants in Austin and San Antonio) and owner-operator Chris Reale, a veteran of Grace, Del Frisco's, and Lambert's, among other Fort Worth icons.

They've partnered with real estate broker Rodger Chieffalo and developer Mark Harris; the quartet also recently acquired Paris Coffee Shop, in Fort Worth's Near Southside.

Culinary director at Roy Pope is Bria Downey, award-winning chef who was a 2020 semi-finalist in the James Beard Awards and was also at the helm at Clay Pigeon Food & Drinks when it won CultureMap's Tastemaker Award for Best Restaurant in 2019. She also worked at Piattello Italian Kitchen, Winslow's Wine Bar, and Bird Cafe.

In addition to reviving classic Roy Pope dishes such as King Ranch chicken, mac & cheese, and beef stroganoff, she's creating a new menu of ready-made meals, ready-to-cook meals, and a selection of signature soups, salads, and sandwiches.

Special features will include steak night and barbecue feasts, via a custom-made smoker/grill rig from Mill Scale in Lockhart, Texas. Downey will also participate in demonstration videos sharing recipes and tips for at-home cooks to use Roy Pope products.

The store will emphasize Texas-made goods with locally made breads, pastries, and artisan cheeses. They'll also expand the wine and beer department, under the guidance of certified sommelier Mikey Riojas, who will also partner with the culinary department to devising food-and-beverage pairings and create a schedule of wine events and concierge services.

Other amenities include:

coffee bar
wine bar
frozen custard stand with toppings
floral department
a catering operation

A dog-friendly outdoor patio created by architectural designer and Fort Worth native Jack Sanders includes an enlarged, covered entrance on the Merrick Street side of the building, as well as an improved, covered entrance on the west side of the building, adjacent to the parking lot.

openings

Doughnut News

Luscious doughnut shop Duck Donuts makes Fort Worth debut

Photo courtesy of Visit Addison

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A decadent new doughnut shop is coming to Fort Worth: Duck Donuts, a North Carolina-based chain known for serving doughnuts made to order, will open a shop at 6387 Camp Bowie Blvd. #A within the Ridglea Plaza Shopping Center in Fort Worth.

According to a release, the shop will open on Saturday December 21 at 7 am.

Duck Donuts opened its first locations in 2007 in the beach resort towns of Duck and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with the intention to create an oasis for vacationers. They're now headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and began franchising in 2013, with more than 150 locally owned and operated shops across 26 states and international locations. There was previously a DFW location in Addison on Belt Line Road that opened in 2020 but it did not survive the pandemic.

The Fort Worth shop is owned and operated by husband-and-wife Justin and Morgan Thomas.

“We are delighted to be opening in Fort Worth,” Justin says in a statement. “The community has been patiently waiting for us to open our doors, and now we cannot wait to sprinkle happiness to all with our warm, delicious and made-to-order doubhnuts.”

The 1,035-square-foot shop reflects the franchise’s reimagined design which gives a modern twist on their iconic beach theme and family-friendly atmosphere. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by the aroma of warm, light vanilla cake doughnuts.

Customers can create their own combination by choosing from coatings, toppings, and drizzles, including traditional favorites such as chocolate icing with sprinkles and more adventurous creations such as maple icing with bacon.

Key to their appeal is the viewing area where children and adults alike can watch their doughnuts being made.

Many of their flavors have a beachy theme such as the Beach, a cake doughnut with vanilla icing dusted with cinnamon sugar; the Sunrise with lemon icing and raspberry drizzle; and the Beach Ball with vanilla icing, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate drizzle.

They rotate in seasonal offerings such as the current lineup of mint-flavored flavors including chocolate icing with mint buttercream. The doughnuts themselves are limited to vanilla and chocolate cake; the flavors come primarily from icing.

In addition to doughnuts, the Fort Worth location will serve coffee, doughnut breakfast sandwiches, doughnut sundaes — in which a doughnut is topped with ice cream and syrup — plus frozen beverages and milkshakes.

doughnuts openings