Mendocino Farms is headed to Fort Worth for the first time, with plans to open a restaurant at Westbend near Texas Christian University. It would mark the California-born sandwich chain's debut not just in the city but in all of Tarrant County, according to reporting from WhatNow.
The new location is planned for 1701 S. University Drive inside Westbend, the mixed-use development that already blends retail, restaurants and apartments along the corridor. As star-telegram.com reports, this will be the first Mendocino Farms in Tarrant County, a notable expansion for a chain that has so far stuck to the Dallas side of the Metroplex. The company already operates six restaurants in the Dallas area, giving Fort Worth diners their first local taste of a concept that has built a following elsewhere in North Texas.
Conflicting Numbers on Size and Timing
Exactly how big the new restaurant will be depends on which account you read. State licensing documents cited by the same Star-Telegram report put the space at around 3,200 square feet with a patio, while the Business Journal describes a 3,262-square-foot footprint. Timing is similarly fuzzy: citybiz.co reports the restaurant will open in 2027, while the Star-Telegram notes that Mendocino Farms and fellow Westbend tenant Maman have estimated construction completion dates of March 2027 — a construction estimate, not a confirmed opening date for either business.
Maman, a French bakery and cafe concept, is the other new name joining Westbend's roster, according to a report from bizjournals.com, which described the pairing as new restaurants landing at Westbend Residences. The two incoming tenants add food concepts to the development's next chapter.
What's on the Menu
Mendocino Farms built its reputation on sandwiches, salads and wraps made with locally sourced bread, and Dallas-area regulars have gravitated toward a handful of standouts. Per the Star-Telegram, popular picks include the “not so fried” chicken sandwich with mustard pickle slaw and a chimichurri steak and bacon sandwich. The chain was founded in Los Angeles in 2005 and has since grown to more than 80 restaurants across California, Colorado, Texas and Washington, with backing from private equity firms L Catterton and TPG.
Westbend's Bigger Second Act
The restaurant news arrives as Westbend pushes ahead with a major second phase of construction. Trademark Property Company announced the official groundbreaking of what it calls Westbend Residences, a 321-unit multifamily community, back on September 15, 2025, according to a statement from Trademark Property. That phase builds on a first stage of the development that the company says includes 281,000 square feet of office and retail space, which Trademark describes as fully leased.
The scope of that second phase has shifted somewhat in public reporting over time. Two years ago, Fort Worth Report described plans for the expansion as a seven-story mixed-use building with 300 multifamily units and 4,500 square feet of commercial space, an estimate tied to Fort Worth City Council's approval of incentives for what was then described as an $82 million project. More recent coverage from the Star-Telegram describes the current plan as adding 321 units of multifamily housing and 5,500 square feet of commercial space while doubling the retail already at the center. Trademark has said it expects to deliver the community in the first quarter of 2027, though the Star-Telegram separately reported a June 2027 completion target for the seven-story complex.
Westbend's overall footprint traces back further than this latest expansion. The development's current phase is valued at $82 million and builds on an earlier $53 million first phase that was completed in 2016, according to the Star-Telegram. With Mendocino Farms and Maman now attached to the project, Westbend's leasing push gives Fort Worth diners near TCU two new names to watch as construction continues.
