Roy Pope Grocery Closes May 31 as Westland Hospitality Plans New Eatery

FORT WORTH, May 27, 2026 — Roy Pope Grocery, a gourmet market that has anchored the Arlington Heights neighborhood at 2300 Merrick St. since 1943, will close its doors May 31 as Fort Worth-based Westland Hospitality Group prepares to take over the building and launch a new restaurant concept in its place.

Owner and developer Mark Harris confirmed in a public Facebook video that the decision to end grocery operations came before any business arrangement with Westland Hospitality. The store continues to operate through the end of May, open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The closure marks the end of Roy Pope's most recent chapter as a gourmet grocery. Westland Hospitality picks up the building lease June 1 and plans to open a full-service restaurant that honors the location's deep roots in west Fort Worth.

What Westland Hospitality Plans for the Roy Pope Grocery Site

Westland Hospitality, the Fort Worth group behind Pulido's Kitchen & Cantina, Margie's Italian Gardens, and West Side Cafe, will retain the Roy Pope name. The group describes the incoming concept as a dining destination rooted in hospitality, local history, and Southern Americana-influenced cooking.

Gigi Howell, operating partner of Westland Hospitality, clarified the sequence of events in a May 24 Facebook post, writing that Harris and his partners chose to close the grocery business independently before the deal with Westland took shape.

"Mark Harris and the current owners of Roy Pope recently made the decision to close Roy Pope Grocery May 31st," Howell wrote.

The Team Behind the New Restaurant

Westland Hospitality plans to develop the menu with operating partner Howell, culinary veteran Juan Rodriguez, and chef Levi Gardner, who serves as executive chef at Margie's Italian Gardens. Gardner took home Rising Star Chef of the Year at the 2026 CultureMap Fort Worth Tastemaker Awards in April.

Rodriguez brings decades of Fort Worth kitchen experience, having cooked at institutions including Reata and Magdalena's. He is a former Chef of the Year in the same Tastemaker Awards series.

"This is personal for a lot of us," said Gigi Howell, operating partner of Westland Hospitality. "I remember Roy Pope as the kind of place you found a reason to visit. Our goal is to protect that sense of familiarity while giving the neighborhood a beautiful place to gather, eat well, and feel at home."

Why the Roy Pope Name Carries Weight in Fort Worth

Roy and Rose Pope founded the original grocery and meat market in 1943, building a loyal customer base across the Camp Bowie Boulevard corridor, Westover Hills and the Cultural District. For decades, the store operated as a neighborhood institution known for quality meats, prepared foods and attentive service.

The market closed in April 2020 during the pandemic before a new ownership group that included restaurateur Lou Lambert and operator Chris Reale revived it in 2021. Husband-and-wife team Ben and Lauren Klipfel took over day-to-day operations in 2024, a role they stepped away from at the end of 2025.

Bourke Harvey, managing partner of Westland Hospitality, said his connection to Roy Pope goes back to his youth.

"I worked there bagging groceries when I was in junior high, as did my brothers," said Bourke Harvey, managing partner of Westland Hospitality. "When a place carries this much history, personal meaning, and neighborhood connection, it deserves care, attention, and a future that respects where it came from."

Harris echoed that confidence in a video posted to Facebook. "As soon as we decided to get out of the grocery business, I could think of no better steward than Westland Hospitality for the Roy Pope name," Harris said.

Timeline and Next Steps

Westland Hospitality has not announced an opening date or released full menu details for the new restaurant. The group says further information will follow as planning progresses.

The site at 2300 Merrick St. will continue to welcome shoppers through May 31 during its reduced daytime hours.