Downtown Fort Worth is busy again. What’s behind the resurgence in foot traffic?
July 10,2025
See full Fort Worth Star-Telegram article by Harrison Mantas here.
Downtown Fort Worth is busier than it’s been in a long time. Restaurants are busy, hotel bookings are increasing, and more businesses are filling up once vacant storefronts.
The number of people walking around downtown is up roughly 25% since 2022, according to data from nonprofit Downtown Fort Worth Inc.
The increase appears to be a combination of something old and something new.
Multiple downtown experts pointed to people returning to working in the office as the main driver of downtown traffic.
Downtown’s office occupancy is the highest it’s been since before XTO pulled up stakes in 2017, although this could be due the new City Hall and a number of office buildings being converted into apartments.
At the same time downtown has added more hotel rooms and apartment buildings.
While not quite back to pre-COVID numbers, downtown is continuing its gradual growth.
The visitors to downtown Fort Worth
“We’re feeling it,” said Andy Taft, president of the downtown advocacy nonprofit Downtown Fort Worth Inc.
“We don’t have anybody on the street corners with clickers, but alcohol sales are tracking up significantly since COVID,” he said, which is a key indicator of how many people are going to bars and restaurants.
Taft also pointed to the steady growth of hotel occupancy along with the addition of new hotel rooms as contributing to the added foot traffic.
Data from Downtown Fort Worth Inc.’s 2024 State of Downtown report showed hotels averaging just under 70% occupancy last year.
While still lackluster on Mondays and Fridays, Tuesday through Thursdays have seen a big boost, he said.
Cell phone data show that most out-of-town visitors to Dickies Arena stayed in hotels downtown, Kimber Foster, Visit Fort Worth vice president of marketing, wrote in an email.
That’s a 12% increase over the previous 12-month period, Foster said.
Brian Perkins, owner of Barber’s Bookstore on the corner of West Eighth Street and Throckmorton Street, credited the increase to more conventions at the city’s convention center.
Conventions have also helped drive traffic during the middle of the week, said Reata president Mike Micallef.
“It’s outside of the weekend, and people need steak, which is really good for us,” he said.
Micallef offered the caveat that it’s hard to compare his traffic to previous years since Reata’s July 2024 move to its location at the corner of West Fourth Street and Throckmorton Street.
However, in the past year, Reata’s revenue per square foot has been higher than its previous location at Houston Street and West Third Street, Micaleff said.
Office-goers boost foot traffic in Fort Worth
The biggest boost to foot traffic has been companies requiring people to work in the office, Micallef said.
“To be honest with you, if we have a bad day it’s probably more weather-related than anything else,” he said, pointing to several rain storms in April and May that slowed his business.
In-office attendance at the City Center towers hit 101% of the pre-pandemic baseline in May, said Johnny Campbell, City Center’s president and CEO.
The increase is mostly due to companies requiring employees to be back in office, he said.
There have been some new tenants coming in that have contributed to the increased attendance number, but the lion’s share has been from long-term leases, Campbell said.
On average, City Center sees about 80% to 90% in-office attendance, he said, which is higher than the national average of 53.5%, according to data from security key card company Kastle Systems data.
It’s also higher than the Metroplex average of about 60% attendance every week, according to Kastle Systems’ data.
What’s coming to downtown Fort Worth
Several older office buildings in downtown are in the process of being converted into either residential spaces or hotels, which Campbell said will be good for Fort Worth.
This includes redevelopment of the old Oncor building at 115 W. Seventh St., the Oil & Gas building at 307 W. Seventh St., and the Bob Simpson Building at 711 Houston St.
The city has struggled to bring new companies to downtown, so adding more residences and making the area more walkable will make it more vibrant and attractive, Campbell said.
Around 978 apartments are in the pipeline, according to Downtown Fort Worth Inc.’s 2024 report.
All the new apartments will bring more young people to downtown, which will make people feel safe, bookstore owner Perkins said.
Downtown Fort Worth Inc.’s Taft also pointed to the development of Heritage and Paddock Parks, which he argued will bring more visitors to the north end of downtown and spur more development.
“We see a lot of blue sky ahead with regard to generators of sidewalk traffic,” Taft said.
Locations Mentioned: Barber's Bookstore, HERITAGE AND PADDOCK PARKS PROJECT, Oil & Gas / Star-Telegram Building, Reata Restaurant