Eat at Fred’s!
Fort Worth’s Best Cheeseburger Since 1978
When Quincy Wallace and Cliff Whaley planned to reopen Fred’s Texas Cafe in 2020, they figured they’d only need a few staff members on the schedule for that first day. After all, the store had only been closed temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it would surely take a bit for even the most loyal customer’s mouth to start watering. But they couldn’t have been more wrong.
“People were sitting in lawn chairs out in the parking lot at our Western Center location, waiting for us to open,” Whaley said with a laugh. “Nobody will change your mind about your favorite burger, and I think we’re in a class by ourselves.”
Wallace agreed, adding, “It’s a thriving brand many families have loved for generations.”
They’re certainly not wrong about that last part. Fred’s Texas Cafe has been serving the Fort Worth area since 1978 and is widely revered for having the best cheeseburger—they have 19 on their Texas-size menu and a few hidden gems on their hidden menu. The burgers, hand-cut fries, chicken fried steak, chili, veggie quesadillas, and even their peach cobbler are so popular that many customers have insisted on weekly visits since they were kids. That’s certainly the case for Wallace.
Long before he started working for Fred’s in 1999 as a dishwasher and eventually as a partner in 2011, he remembers making the short walk from his dad’s cabinet store to Fred’s original location at 915 Currie every Saturday afternoon. It was Ken’s Cafe then, and before that, it was Vera’s LaMode and G&L’s Cafe. JD and Gary Chandler ultimately bought Ken’s Cafe in 1978 and renamed it Fred’s.
In an instant, an iconic brand was born.
“I’m just honored to be the caretaker of such an amazing brand,” Wallace said. Fred’s currently has two locations at Western Center and 7101 Camp Bowie West. A third location is expected to open in Crowley later this year. “When I started, there were people who had eaten at Vera’s and G&L’s—and now their kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids are coming here.”
Whaley agreed. He started with the company in 2017 and is now the Director of Operations. His son has been a bus boy at Fred’s, and both his daughters have worked at Fred’s on and off.
“This is a family business, and there’s an undeniable connection to the community. We want this to be a place where everyone takes a bit of ownership,” he said. “They say they know the owner, and that’s true. Others say they’ve been coming since they were a kid. That’s true, too. We have out-of-town regulars who come once a year when they’re in town or once a month when they come to Fort Worth to see their mom. Plenty come every week—and we’ve always got something on the menu for them.”
At the top of the list is the Big Fred, a 3/4-pound patty with pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mustard served on a delicious sourdough bun. But there’s also a bacon cheddar chili burger with Texas red brisket chili that’s absolutely to die for, the Badlands BBQ burger, the guajillo burger, and the Serrano.
Beyond burgers, they’ve got beef tacos, hot honey chicken tenders, green chili lamb stew, and as many desserts as you want.
“We’re not afraid to get creative with what we do,” Whaley added.
Wallace added, “It’s been a wild ride and a long journey, but it’s easy to love what we do for a living.”
As for the future, Wallace and Whaley agree the sky is the limit for Fred’s Texas Cafe. After all, a true Texas legend lives forever. For more information on Fred’s, visit www.fredstexascafe.com. Or better yet, stop in and try their food. You won’t be disappointed.
