A revered Fort Worth restaurant just received a prestigious nod (and a generous grant): Drew's Place Restaurant, a Southern/soul food spot at 5701 Curzon Ave., was one of 50 restaurants across the U.S. that scored a $50,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Backing Historic Small Restaurants program.

The Backing Historic Small Restaurants program is an initiative by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to invest in small, independent restaurants that serve as cultural and culinary landmarks across the U.S.

This year, 50 restaurants across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands will each receive a $50,000 grant to help renovate and grow their businesses. They'll also receive one free year from Resy, an American Express company, for its restaurant management software, ResyOS.

American Express Head of Corporate Sustainability Madge Thomas says in a statement that the project started five years ago as a pandemic response but has grown into a movement "to uplift the historic restaurants that shape our neighborhoods and connect generations through food."

"Our 2025 grantees reflect the deep-rooted food traditions that define American communities, and we hope these grants spark ripple effects that sustain them in the future," Thomas says.

Many of the grantees are family-owned and have served their communities for generations. One other Texas restaurant was on the list: The Vasquez 1935 in Uvalde.

Drew's Place started out in 1987 as Drew’s Soul Food, then moved to its current location in 1998. The restaurant is owned and operated by Drew and Stephanie Thomas and their daughter, Krystal.

The menu includes their award-winning fried chicken, plus chicken-fried steak, fried catfish, smothered pork chop, oxtails, wings, and sides like mashed potatoes, fried okra, collard greens, and broccoli rice casserole with cheese. There are also desserts such as peach cobbler, coconut cake, and sweet potato pie.

The family plans to use the money on expanded outdoor patio seating, a new mural on the wall facing their parking lot, a covered area for walk-up customers, new lighting, and a remodeled sign.

Since launching in 2020, Backing Historic Small Restaurants has since awarded more than $8 million to 180 restaurants in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

The initiative is part of American Express’s broader Backing Small Businesses grant programs, which also includes the Backing International Small Restaurants initiative.