This Fort Worth restaurant serves steaks for less than $15. But watch meat prices
If you have a favorite restaurant you love, go this week.
Order take-out. Or get a patio table. If there’s enough room inside for safe dining, consider it.
Two months after restaurants struggled to learn social media, plan family meals and take online orders, they’re struggling again.
The problems: money and meat.
“We are struggling to to make enough for employees and bills ,,, [and now] the drastic increase in meat prices,” said Eva Villagomez of La Rueda Restaurant, 2317 Oakland Blvd., a busy east Fort Worth stop for breakfast pancakes, Tex-Mex lunches and inexpensive steak dinners.
“Our question that nobody can answer is, ‘How long is this going to last?’ ... We are a small, family-oriented establishment that depends on the community.”
Restaurant owners in the coronavirus recession were already spending more money for advertising, online ordering, phone lines and take-out packaging.
Now, they’re also paying double the old price for beef or pork. Sometimes triple.
Texas Monthly’s headline: “Where Have All the Briskets Gone?”
If you can go to the little local, independent restaurants like La Rueda, they really need your help. Soon.
La Rueda’s biggest steak is a 12-ounce rib-eye. It costs less than $15.
The brisket platter or the fajitas cost less that $15. Lunch specials are about $7.
Even the takeout family packs are inexpensive. Less then $30 buys enchiladas and tacos for six people, or fajitas for two people.
It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner weekdays and Saturdays, breakfast and lunch Sundays; 817-535-3792.
Now is the time to come to the aid of your cafe
If you want to help iconic local restaurants like Bailey’s Bar-B-Que, Carshon’s Deli, Clown Burger, Day Break Cafe & Grill, Dos Molina’s, El Rancho Grande, Fred’s Texas Cafe, Fuego Burger, Los Asaderos, Los Zarapes, or Rufus (with the pitmaster and food from Billy’s Oak Acres) to name a few, dine there or pick up takeout soon.
And tell your city council member to:
▪ Allow patios to expand into sidewalks and onto adjacent property.
▪ Streamline inspections and fees for remodeling restaurants as long as distancing is practiced, and
▪ Consider sales tax rebates to support restaurants in historic districts or distressed areas.
Social media campaigns helped rally support for Parton’s Pizza, a 1960s retro cracker-crust pizzeria at 2813 S. Cherry Lane in west Fort Worth, and for Szechuan Restaurant, “Paul” Chang’s 40-year legacy Chinese restaurant at 5712 Locke Ave.
But any help is too late for now-closed restaurants like Birdie Bop inside the Moon Bar, the Cork & Pig Tavern on Crockett Row, the Hoffbrau Steak & Grill on South University Drive or Tacos de Norte on West Central Avenue (not related to the thriving Del Norte Tacos in Godley).
Belzoni’s Catfish Cafe, an original Mississippi-style catfish restaurant at 110 N. Jim Wright Freeway, has reopened for takeout.
Drew’s Place, a fried chicken favorite at 5701 Curzon Ave., reopened this week for takeout.
An inexpensive restaurant near downtown Fort Worth, Jesús BBQ & Family Restaurant, 810 S. Main St., will reopen June 2.)
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
