Mid City Times

The City of Fort Worth is inviting local food vendors and restaurateurs to join a new dining program at the city's new hall. The initiative, in partnership with Fooda, aims to bring a variety of local restaurants to the building through a pop-up program during the work week.

"This is a great opportunity for local food businesses to test the waters when it comes to expanding their services," said Robert Sturns, director of economic development for the City of Fort Worth. "If a business owner is looking to expand from a kitchen to a food truck, or from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar location, there are numerous logistics to navigate – including staffing, equipment and inventory management. This Fooda initiative can help vendors begin to experiment and take those steps while still being supported by a built-in clientele of City employees."

The new city hall will consolidate staff from 22 departments into the former Pier 1 Imports headquarters. Once renovations are complete, it will serve as the primary office for almost 1,600 City employees. The facility will also feature services for residents and business owners, including permitting, certificates of occupancy, customer service, platting and zoning, land development, water utility payments, street use permits and more.

"Fort Worth’s culinary scene is incredibly diverse, and what better way to celebrate it than to showcase it as part of our new city hall?" said Christina Brooks, chief equity officer and director of the Diversity & Inclusion Department. "This initiative has the potential to spotlight and support our local food scene, from well-known community favorites to entrepreneurs who may be just starting out."

Local food vendors interested in participating in the Fooda pop-up program are encouraged to attend a kickoff event on Tuesday, July 30 from 4-6 p.m. at the mezzanine level of the new Fort Worth City Hall located at 100 Fort Worth Trail. Seating for this free event is limited; therefore participants should register online via either an English or Spanish registration form.

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