FORT WORTH, Texas — As customers filed into Los Vaqueros Restaurant in the Fort Worth Stockyards on Thursday, they shared memories shared in the historic building through the years.
Johnny and Jaime Maldonado, two brothers who dined at the restaurant on its opening day, visited for a last meal before the restaurant relocates this weekend.
“We grew up here,” Johnny said. “I remember me and my boys coming here to watch me work.”
The longtime Fort Worth landmark’s last day at its current location at 2629 N Main St. will be Sunday, June 30. The owners have agreed to sell the historic location but will relocate to another location in the Stockyards.
The new location is set to open in the Stockyards Event Center at 2507 Rodeo Plaza, where Cisneros Restaurants signed a long-term lease.
In an interview with WFAA, Los Vaqueros President Vicki Cisneros said the new location will occupy an 8,000-square-foot space, compared with its current 34,000-square-foot building. While the current location has a garden courtyard, the new location will have a patio that can accommodate 85 people.
“We’re going back to where we started right there by Billy Bob’s, right in the heart of the Stockyards,” Cisneros said. “The staff is the essence of what we've built here for 28 years. If we’re able to carry that essence with us there, I think we’ll be fine.”
Cisneros was only 23 when her family first opened its original location 40 years ago. She was emotional ahead of Sunday’s last day in the historic building.
Cisneros described watching generations of families visit, seeing children grow up, and helping customers celebrate milestones.
Customers flooded the restaurant’s Facebook page to share fond memories of milestones celebrated in the historic building through the years. People shared images of bridal showers, birthdays, weddings, and celebrations spent in the restaurant.
While the relocation is difficult emotionally, she’s hopeful they’ll carry on the same values and traditions centered around family.
The new location will open sometime between late July and early August.
Cisneros shared a few thoughts about the current building's future but didn't provide specific details about what the new owners plan to do with it.
"It's going to be something fantastic, something that is going to lend a lot to the integrity of the building," Cisneros said. "They're gonna be an asset to our community. I felt it was a perfect fit for the building and a perfect fit for the final leg of this building's journey."
Los Vaqueros isn’t the only Fort Worth staple relocating. Reata Restaurant will also move from its Sundance Square location to the Tower Building on Throckmorton Street.
Reata’s new location will open sometime in July.