Photography by Jill Johnson
A party of 70 was walking into Fort Worth’s Mercado Juarez Cafe for lunch in April 2023 when its new owner, Marcus Paslay, entered. Some restaurants would quote a multi-hour wait or be unable to accommodate a group that large, says longtime Mercado Juarez employee Pedro Ramirez. However, the host informed the group that they would be seated as soon as they pushed the tables together.
“I thought to myself, ‘holy moly,’” Paslay says. “Restaurants aren’t built this big anymore.”…