FORT WORTH, Texas — A downtown Fort Worth staple is in search for a new home.
Reata Restaurant announced Wednesday it is looking for a new space after spending more than two decades in downtown Fort Worth. Reata president Mike Micallef told WFAA they asked for a lease renewal with their landlord and did not get one. Micallef also said they requested a face-to-face meeting with Sundance Square management and did not receive that, either.
WFAA reached out to Sundance Square management Wednesday and have not heard back.
“It’s incredibly difficult," Micallef said. "We’ve got so many great relationships here in downtown Fort Worth and if you look at our business, it’s different than a lot of areas outside of downtown. A lot of our business has been generated from office business.”
Micallef said he has already heard from several developments and business owners offering up land and buildings as a location.
“We need figure out the best place for Reata going forward, not where it’s been great for us in the past," he said.
Sundacne Square said in an email it does not discuss landlord-tenant issues.
Many remember Reata after it recovered from being hit by an F3 tornado on March 28, 2000, only to be up and running again 42 days later serving the community.
Shortly after, the business launched Reata on the Road and started the first pop-up restaurant at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo as the restaurant built out the Sundance Square location. That partnership with the rodeo remains in effect today. WFAA highlighted it in January:
Reata's announcement to leave comes as amid a larger changing landscape in the Sundance Square area. In July 2021, WFAA reported on how tenants in the Sundance Square area say lack of support from management has catered to businesses struggles bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In January, Micallef reported that the restaurant's sales were down 10.4%.
Sundance Square has replaced a free valet system with one that cost $21 for 90 minutes and changed the surface lot close to Reata from free to $10/hour, according to WFAA's William Joy.
Micallef brought up the issue again during Wednesday's announcement.
“We’ve got groups that haven’t been coming because of that parking," he said. "More than anything, if you look at that fee, if somebody spends 70 minutes here, take a look at our menu, look at our prices, look at that cost as a percentage of our prices and what impact it would have.”
In an email, Sundance said the valet system is cheaper than what hotels hotel charge for overnight parking.
Micallef told WFAA in July 2021 that they would get complaints from customers about the valet pricing and a lot of them don't want to walk from the self-parking in lots and garages a few blocks from the central plaza.
WFAA spoke with a spokesperson for Sundance Square management for the 2021 story and they declined an interview. A list of questions and tenant complaints were also sent, and WFAA did not receive a response.
According to a release from Reata, their lease ends on June 30, 2024 and plan to honor all event commitments at its current location. They're asking for the public's help finding the restaurant's next location.
"We have made the decision to search for a new location … a different location will not change who Reata is,” Micallef said in a news conference Wednesday.
Downtown Fort Worth President Andy Taft gave WFAA this statement following Reata's announcement:
"The lead time for a new restaurant can be significant, so Reata's announcement that they are open to a new location gives us time to find a new place for them in downtown. Of course, Sundance may choose to work to keep them as a tenant. If so, all the better."
Reata is looking for a 12,000-square-foot to 20,000-square-foot building with 200 parking spaces or two acres of undeveloped land.
If you have an idea for Reata's next location, email it to locations@reata.net.