The chorus to George Strait’s hit song titled, “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” played on a local station today and got me thinking about Joe T. Garcia’s.
Gina and I had dropped by the restaurant, located just south of the Fort Worth Stockyards, after we listed a property in North Richland Hills and I had taken the photo below on my iPhone as we stood in line waiting for a table to open.
Copyright 2010 - Tom Branch
Joe T. Garcia’s, known as “Joe T’s” among locals, was first opened on July 4th, 1935. The original restaurant seated 16 people and people would line up for hours to try out the famous enchiladas and hand-made tortillas.
Joe believed that the best form of advertising was word of mouth and did no traditional advertising. Joe and his family provided great meals and great service so despite no traditional advertising their family business flourished and grew.
Joe passed away in the early 1950’s leaving his wife and family to take over the reins. In the 1970’s a garden patio was added and every year after that saw an expansion of the gardens or the addition of a room. Over the years seating capacity has increased to almost 1000 and you still have to wait in line to get a seat!
The next time you’re in Fort Worth consider dropping by this landmark and give the food and hospitality a try! Don’t be surprised if you have to stand in line…
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