Montgomery Street Café is a west side institution where diners quickly cross over many bottomless cups of coffee into regulars, especially at breakfast time. Most attribute this well-known gastro-phenomenon to the cafes superb customer service.
“They give you special attention and we like special attention,” said Ken Boyd, who eats there several times a week.
Another part of the aforementioned ‘special attention’ is greeting guests like they’re one of their own.
Owner Claudette Finley proudly reaffirms Mr. Boyd's assertion.
“They feel comfortable here. It’s like coming home for lunch or being at home for breakfast, and that’s what makes us special,” said Finley.
Montgomery Café regular Kirk Whicklund enjoys the restaurant, open since 1949, so much that even suffering a heart attack could hardly keep him away.
“The waitresses here kept me going and gave me a reason to get out of the hospital and come back down here for some good breakfast,” said Whicklund, who delivers fresh flowers weekly so the café has “some much needed color.”
Although, the café isn’t lacking in any local color, many of its waitresses (on-staff for decades) call patrons by their names and write down their order before customers have even sat down.
“When I come here they know what I want already. If I get something different they already know what it is and they fix it for me,” said Bart Jackson in between bites of scrambled eggs and bacon.
Knowing what customers want is a part of Montgomery Café’s quaint charm and the second part is obviously the food. A hearty breakfast consists of the classics: eggs served any way the customer prefers, hash browns, bacon, fluffy omelets, pancakes, pork chops with a side of grits and cowboy-sized buttermilk biscuits dripping in sausage gravy.
The next time you want a true taste of Fort Worth, leave all pretense at the door and try Montgomery Café. Don’t expect it to change anytime soon either.
“If it aint’ broke, don’t fix it,” said Finley.
We couldn’t agree more.
Montgomery Cafe
2000 Montgomery Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817-731-8033
