The food and beverage scene at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is evolving.

New concession options throughout the arena include a turkey, apple and brie panini, a shaved ribeye cheesesteak, a Thai noodle bowl and two new ways to enjoy baked potatoes: buffalo chicken or broccoli and cheese. Arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) was so popular last year with rodeo box and club seat guests that it is now available everywhere, says Julie Margolin, vice president of food and beverage at Dickies Arena.

For the first time, premium seat holders can enjoy brunch during morning and matinee performances at Dickies’ Ariat Club.

And last fall’s inaugural Vine 2 Wine International Competition yielded 15 awards out of 700 entries in various categories. The winners’ wines, which were selected this fall, will be available at multiple ticketed events during the rodeo including Bubbles & Bites on Feb. 2—which features brunch from several local restaurants—and Sip & Shop, a wine-tasting experience on Jan. 22 and 29. Complimentary tastings will also be available at Wine Camp Wednesdays Jan. 29 and Feb. 5.

Gigi Howell, operating partner of Westland Restaurant Group, would attend the rodeo as a child and watch her uncle perform as a rodeo clown. 

“I thought I was so cool,” Howell says. “He would just go put me up in the stands—in that day it was no big deal—get me some nachos and a coke, [and] we’d go around and talk to his cowboy friends.”

Many years later, it’s Howell’s turn to be an integral part of the rodeo’s food evolution. 

Westland Restaurant Group will launch Pulido’s Rodeo Kitchen in the Moncrief building. It’s their second year with a presence at the rodeo— last year, the group provided lunch for the rodeo staff. They’ll continue that this year, in addition to offering Tex-Mex dishes like fajitas, tacos, enchiladas and tortilla soup to stock show attendees.

The partnership means a lot to Howell. 

“[FWSSR] is a Fort Worth tradition that has lived for a very long time,” she says. “It’s unwavering. It just gets better every year, so to have our name associated with that is just a huge point of pride for us.”