83-year-old Camp Bowie grocery market getting new partners, dining refresh
Fort Worth’s 83-year-old Roy Pope Grocery is sprucing up its dining experience.
The market, located at 2300 Merrick St. off Camp Bowie, already serves patty melts, Reuben and burgers. But now, new partners Westland Hospitality — the brains behind Margie’s, JD’s Hamburgers, Pulido’s and Curly’s — will give the menu a refresh, according to a news release.
Roy Pope Grocery has been a name in Fort Worth since World War II. When the grocer opened, it was a partnership between Roy Pope and Charles Kincaid. When they split in 1946 over a disagreement, Kincaid opened his own market, which we know as Kincaid’s Hamburgers today.
Roy Pope entered its modern era with to-go meals and a coffee-wine bar in 2021, when chef Louis Lambert and Chris Reale of the 100-year-old Paris Coffee Shop took ownership. Lambert departed in 2024. The business remains in operation under Reale and owner Mark Harris. Westland Hospitality is not taking over, but joining as partners.
The refresh is aimed to preserve the meaningful familiarity of Roy Pope Grocery. Levi Gardner, Executive Chef at Margie’s Italian Gardens and a culinary leader within Westland Hospitality, will serve as new executive chef at Roy Pope.
Menu details and a re-opening timeline are coming soon.
“Roy Pope has always belonged to the neighborhood in a very special way,” Harris wrote in the news release. “As we looked toward its next chapter, Bourke, Gigi, and Westland Hospitality stood out for three reasons. First, they understand Fort Worth. Second, they understand hospitality. Third, they have shown a real respect for places that matter to the community.”