At 4400 Benbrook Highway in west Fort Worth, the smell of sizzling beef and roasting green chiles still wafts from the tiny, smoky kitchen of Fuego Burger. It’s business as usual — almost. On May 13, a quiet day was shattered when Carlos Rodriguez, the restaurant’s co-owner and chef, was violently assaulted inside the building.
According to a police report, the altercation began when three individuals entered Fuego Burger, one of them carrying an outside drink — a violation of the restaurant’s policy. Rodriguez advised the man, later identified as 24-year-old Nehemiah Green of DeSoto, that outside drinks weren’t allowed. The exchange escalated. Green struck Rodriguez multiple times before fleeing the scene with the other two individuals in a vehicle. Fort Worth police later apprehended them, and Green was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury. No further updates from the police were available at press time.
Rodriguez’s family says he’ll be out for at least two to three months while he recovers. Until then, the kitchen belongs to his wife Christie and their son, Alex.
Years before Fuego Burger, there was Salsa Fuego. Housed in a former KFC on the Benbrook traffic circle, it started as a humble family-run experiment in 2009. Texas Monthly took notice, and soon, crowds were lining up for Carlos’s signature fusion of New Mexico heat, Tex-Mex soul, and American comfort. His burgers were the breakout hit — so much so that Carlos and Christie dreamed up a spin-off concept. They’d move Salsa Fuego to a larger space and turn the original into a dedicated burger joint – Fuego Burger.
But the bigger space came with bigger headaches. Money flowed out as quickly as it came in. The original plan fizzled, and even though Salsa Fuego won second place in a Star-Telegram burger battle, the doors closed soon after. The dream, it seemed, was cooked.
Except it wasn’t.
“After we closed Salsa Fuego, we thought about other things we could do besides running a restaurant,” Carlos told Fort Worth Magazine in a 2018 interview. “We couldn’t think of anything.”
Restaurant work is in their bones. Carlos, who grew up in El Paso, came to Fort Worth at 17 and was working at the Peony Chinese restaurant by the time he turned 18. Christie, originally from Taiwan, grew up in White Settlement, where she spent her childhood working in her family’s Chinese restaurants across North Texas. In a bit of poetic symmetry, the couple eventually moved Salsa Fuego into the old Peony space, where, ironically, Carlos once waited on Christie, though he doesn't remember it.
They’ve weathered setbacks before, and now they’re doing it again — this time with an injured patriarch watching from the sidelines. In a message shared online, the family expressed gratitude to customers for their loyalty and support. “While we may not be operating at our usual pace, please know every meal is still prepared with love and dedication,” they wrote. Donations for Carlos’s medical expenses are being accepted via QR codes for Venmo and Zelle.
Fort Worth’s food community has responded with swift support. “Carlos is one of the nicest guys around, his wife is wonderful, and Fuego Burger is in my Top 5 for all of Dallas-Fort Worth,” longtime broadcaster Jody Dean posted. “If you’ve never been, now would be a good time to go.”
Famed Fort Worth chef Jon Bonnell said, “Trust me, the green chili burger will change your life.”
Even now, the burgers keep coming: seared beef patties seasoned to perfection, a pop of smoky green chile, and that now-iconic ring of crispy cheese. Influencer Trey’s Chow Down recently praised it as “stacked and packed with flavors.”
In a business that rarely forgives personal hiccups, the Rodriguez family is ready to keep going one burger at a time. No investors, no cushion. Just sweat, heart, and a green chile masterpiece that’s earned its own legend.
