Grant Morgan will serve as executive chef, and Brian Richards, executive director of food and beverage, at 97 West Kitchen & Bar.
The restaurant at what will soon be the Fort Worth Stockyards' newest hotel has some new leaders in the kitchen.
Hotel Drover, located at Mule Alley along East Exchange Avenue, has announced Grant Morgan as executive chef and Brian Richards as executive director of food and beverage for 97 West Kitchen & Bar, the hotel's signature restaurant.
Morgan's previous experience includes serving as executive chef of Dragonfly and Hotel Zaza in Dallas. He was most recently part of the Front Burner Restaurants’ culinary team as chef at the Ranch at Las Colinas and corporate chef for Velvet Taco. Meanwhile, Richards is relocating from Napa, where he oversaw food and beverage operations for Meritage and Vista Collina Resort.
The menu at 97 West will feature "an inventive approach to classic Texas-style cuisine, elevating ranch classics and reimagining Southern comfort foods through a multi-faceted approach," according to a news release. Named after Fort Worth's position on the 97º meridian west, the restaurant's design will include custom, handcrafted furniture; authentic, repurposed wood; an open, decorative show kitchen; and over 200 seats with options including secluded semi-private tables, three private dining rooms, an outdoor chef table, and more.
97 West will also have a back porch that overlooks the pool and fire pits, with yard games like washers and corn hole and a stage for live entertainment.
The 200-room Hotel Drover is part of the Marriott Autograph Collection and expected to open early 2021.
