The novel Giant has a memorable excerpt that goes, “You just look upon life as an annoying interruption to ranching.”
The same can probably be said about owning and operating a restaurant.
The Reata, a Fort Worth restaurant institution located in downtown since 1996, is planning to move from its current location on Houston Street because of a matter with the lease renewal, Reata president Mike Micallef said.
“We asked for a renewal, and we have not gotten it,” Micallef said to Fort Worth Magazine of his landlords, Sundance Square Management LLC. “We are going to look for a new home for Reata.”
The restaurant’s lease is up on June 30, 2024, he added. It's possible a new location could be operating before then through a clause in the lease which permits Reata to open another location beyond five miles of the current site, he said.
At mid-morning news conference at the restaurant, Micallef, 46, said a "different location will not change who or what Reata is." At an interview afterward, he said a return to the same spot is still possible depending on the terms of a new lease, if, in fact, one is forthcoming.
“More than anything, Reata has a strong brand, and a loyal customer base that I believe will support us anywhere we go.”
The announcement was timed to give the company time to locate and build, if necessary, the next restaurant.
“This is why we’re doing this right now,” he said. “Anything can happen, but we don’t want to be pushed back in a corner. The important thing for Reata is not where has been the best place for Reata in the past. It’s where is the best place for Reata in the next 20 years.
“That’s what we have to be looking forward to.”
A potential move, he said, is being viewed through the lens of three possibilities, the first being staying downtown, reiterating a belief that people prefer locations where they can work, play, and eat.
He said he was beyond excited about the possibilities for downtown with the recent announcement of Texas A&M’s expansion and the impact of convention traffic and the expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center on the service industry.
“The addition of the convention center will be a huge positive,” he said.
The second ring of possibilities is moving out of downtown and into the near Southside, the West Seventh district, or the North Side.
The third, he said, is a little beyond than that.
“We’ll consider all options on the table. We’re open to everything,” he said.
Micallef said he could not speculate as to why Sundance Square management has not offered a renewal. The last contact he had with them was a couple of weeks ago. “We asked for a renewal and didn’t get a renewal. We asked for a face-to-face meeting and did not get a face-to-face meeting.”
“We’re not conceding that Reata is leaving,” said Andy Taft, president of Downtown Fort Worth Inc. “There are a number of locations that would work great for them, that have the parking and the exposure. We’re going to try our very best to keep them downtown. We’re not going to let them walk out without really trying.”
Micallef is calling the decision a “new chapter for Reata,” and “a time for possibility.”
Micallef is also asking diners to be a part of the process. He said he welcomes suggestions on the next location through email at [email protected].
There are guidelines, which include a 12,000-20,000 square foot building with space for up to 200 parking spaces. Or, 2 acres of undeveloped land.
“We want to engage our customers in that process,” he said.
Already, customers and interested parties are taking him up on the offer. “We’ve already gotten messages that say, ‘I’ve got the perfect 2 acres for you.’ Some more that are literally drawings of spaces. It will be interesting going forward.”
Reata has been at 310 Houston St., site of the former Caravan of Dreams, since May 2002 when it moved from the 35th floor of the Bank One Tower. The location in the Bank One Tower was the location’s second.
Reata was founded by Al Micallef in Alpine in 1995, the name inspired by the Edna Ferber’s novel Giant. Bank One chairman Bob Semple had eaten at the restaurant in Alpine and recommended not only that the cowboy eatery come to Fort Worth but also a spot at the very top of his bank building.
Micallef noted that the move of Reata into the bank tower was a cultural change, as well. In the days of yore, those spots in those kinds of buildings were reserved for private clubs. In fact, the Reata took over for the Century II Club, which had moved out a couple of years before. Now, that kind of space is viewed as an opportunity for a restaurant, with the added bonus of a place where business can hold meetings without having to be a member of the club.
The restaurant also had produced some notable chefs, including Grady Spears, Louis Lambert, Tim Love, Brian Olenjack, and Juan Rodriguez.
“These are very good friends of mine and have been for a very long time,” said Jon Bonnell, an owner of two restaurants downtown. “These will be very big boots to fill. It’s been iconic for a long time. It will certainly be missed. I wish them all the best. I hope they find a perfect new spot. Sorry Sundance is losing another one.”
The restaurant has faced adversity before, including the tornado that struck the Bank One Tower in 2000. The restaurant managed to reopen in the building within six weeks.
More recently, the restaurant has faced down the challenges of the pandemic altering office and recreation life downtown, as well as Sundance Square’s decision to raise the cost of valet parking to $21. Sundance Square officials said the increase was designed to decrease congestion and improve safety at intersections. It is but one of a number of controversies surrounding the retail environment in the Square over the past couple of years.
The hike in valet costs has been one of the bigger issues, Micallef said.
Earlier this month, Micallef noted on Facebook new parking prices, $10 an hour, for Sundance Square’s central lot at Fourth and Houston Streets. At one time, Reata’s lunch customers could park free there with validation.
Reata had operated a valet service at both locations, until 2012 when Sundance Square, in a move designed to accommodate retail stores and restaurants which lost parking when reconstruction on the square began, began operating a valet service. Reata allowed them to take over dinner valet in 2015.
The cost of valet has “impacted us.” Originally, the cost of the valet was free to customers and cost the restaurant $3. Eventually that was raised to $4.
“I don’t mind paying $4 for the customer to enjoy free valet,” he said. “But I can’t subsidize valet at $7 every 30 minutes, $21 max, plus fees. The cost of valet has impacted us.”
And the added cost is a burden on diners, “especially when you look at our menu prices. That’s a big addition to anybody’s meal.”
“We really care about the customer's total experience," he said.