Crystal Wise
Left to right: Chris Reale, Lou Lambert, and Bria Downey
The sale's complete, the new owners are in place, and James Beard Award semifinalist Bria Downey is officially heading the kitchen. Next up on the revamp of iconic West Side grocery store Roy Pope — the renovation, set to begin Thursday.
The space will undergo a full remodel, which will put less emphasis on the grocery itself and more emphasis on the deli, coffee, and wine bar, says co-owner Chris Reale. The café area will feature indoor and outdoor seating for about 30 people, and the kitchen will expand "five times what it is," he says.
As far as food goes — Reale says customers should expect classic offerings like the king ranch casserole and fried chicken to stay on the menu. But Downey — taking on the title of culinary director — is also working on a new menu for Roy Pope, though it's not quite final yet.
“I’m just like any other chef. That menu is probably going to change 10 more times before we actually open," she says.
Either way, the shop will serve both hot food and grab-and-go items like sandwiches and prepackaged frozen meals. The butcher counter will have raw meat that customers can purchase and cook at home — or ask Downey to cook on the spot.
That's something Downey, the former executive chef at Clay Pigeon, says she's personally looking forward to — building relationships with customers as opposed to being "this white coat that they can see in the background."
“If I’m making a sausage in the deli, and let’s say I’m using chiles, I can tell them, ‘Hey, you can get those same chiles on aisle 3," she says. "Not a lot of people get a chance to actually talk to the chef about food."
Roy Pope will also host events like cooking classes and wine tastings, Reale says. And if someone wants to host a party at Roy Pope, they'll also have the opportunity to work with Downey directly and create a menu specific to the event.
Reale says there's a certain pressure that comes with revamping a market that's been around since 1943. Back in March, regulars had a bit of a scare when previous owners Bob and Renee Larance announced that Roy Pope was going out of business. When they put the store up for sale, longtime Fort Worth restaurateur Lou Lambert — along with Reale and real estate veterans Rodger Chieffalo and Mark Harris — jumped on the purchase. They closed on the contract last Friday.
“Bob passed the torch along to us, and the pressure’s on to really hit it," Reale says. "We’re doing all the research that we possibly can to offer everything that the neighborhood got from Roy Pope but also offer a unique service and experience that they weren’t used to.”
