Rendering provided by Reata
Reata, the popular Fort Worth restaurant that has served appetites well in Sundance Square for more than 20 years, has found a new temporary home around the corner.
The restaurant will be moving from its current location at 310 Houston Street to the ground floor on northeast corner of The Tower building at 530 Throckmorton in July, according to a press release.
The move represents a return to The Tower, its first home in Fort Worth, though it will only be on an interim basis until the restaurant can construct “a more permanent flagship home.” The restaurant did business out of the very top, the 35th floor for several years, when the building was known as the Bank One Tower, which was hit by the tornado in 2000.
The restaurant will remain at its current location, at 310 Houston Street, until its lease runs out on June 30. Company officials said the restaurant’s catering division, Reata on the Road, will continue to operate unabated through the transition.
“Our history with The Tower is both storied and strong. Twenty-three years ago, an F3 tornado devastated our community, making our original Fort Worth location uninhabitable and forcing our relocation in 2001,” Mike Micallef, president of Reata, said in a statement. “Like Fort Worth, Reata is a testament to resilience and rebirth. Together, we will continue to create unforgettable experiences, regardless of geography.”
Reata announced in May 2022 that it was planning to move after not receiving an offer to renew its lease from Sundance Square Management LLC. Micallef said at the time he was taking recommendations on a new home for the restaurant. Fans of the restaurant, including actor Barry Corbin, obliged, sending in suggestions by the dozens.
Asked if there was any chance of making The Tower a permanent home, Micallef said no, though he didn’t discount the possibility of another concept there.
The Tower and the Tower Anex Buildings were purchased by SADA Tower LLC of Texas and SADA Capital Partners LLC — an Illinois based real-estate holdings group in June of last year. The real estate holdings group has already secured the corporate headquarters for Fort Worth-based Dickies.
“With Reata Restaurant and Dickies’ corporate headquarters relocating to The Tower, SADA has had an inspiring entry into the Fort Worth community. Working together with homegrown stakeholders like Reata and Dickies will help us achieve our goal of bringing more and better opportunities into the great city of Fort Worth,” says Saad Sindhu, managing partner of SADA Tower LLC. “We sincerely appreciate Reata and Dickies Corporation for the opportunities they bring and look forward to a smooth transition as we get ready to bring Reata back to its original home.”
The original Reata, which opened some 463 miles west of Fort Worth in Alpine, Texas, nearly 30 years ago, was the brainchild of Micallef’s father, Al Micallef. Reata, which means rope in Spanish, was born out of his simple desire to get a good meal. A year after opening this first eatery, Al Micallef opened a location in Fort Worth.
“Everyone told the rancher no one could operate a successful restaurant in downtown Fort Worth … 35 stories high … in an office tower with a parking garage operated by a bank,” Mike Micallef said in 2022. “Good thing this rancher wasn’t much for listening to naysayers. The restaurant was an immediate success.”
In 2000, Reata Fort Worth survived an encounter with an F3 tornado. But the restaurant persevered, reopening only six weeks after the tornado, which left the building looking like a holed-out fire department training tower. Reata moved to its current location in the old Caravan of Dreams in May 2002. The Bank One Tower was ultimately redeveloped into a mixed-used complex, The Tower, with residences, and businesses at the base.
Reata also operates Reata at the Rodeo, Reata at the Backstage, and La Espuela Mexican Cantina at the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo for three weeks. Reata also produces a line of gourmet bakeware and has a cookbook — Reata: Legendary Texas Cooking.
“Reata transcends physical boundaries,” Micallef said. “It’s not just about the walls that house us, the Western artifacts that adorn us, or the plates and cutlery that serve us. Reata embodies the spirit of Fort Worth. What truly defines us is our community. Our location may change, but the soul of Reata — the people — remains constant.”