Fort Worth Zoo Crocodile Cafe

Project Cost

Square Feet

Design Architect

CMAR

Completion

$5,000,000

8,000

Gideon Toal / Bennett Benner Pettit

Austin Commercial

March 2008

Project Cost

$5,000,000

Square Feet

8,000

Design Architect

Gideon Toal / Bennett Benner Pettit

CMAR

Austin Commercial

Completion

March 2008

Overview

The Crocodile Cafe was completed in 2008 and includes two of the Zoo’s main service food vendors with full service kitchens. While dining inside, guests enjoy direct viewing into an 80,000 gallon fish and gharial tank, as well as a 30,000 gallon saltwater crocodile exhibit. This building mimics the adjacent Museum of Living Art in architecture with its signature wavy roof.
The project included demolition of an existing food service building and multiple site utility improvements, all of which required careful planning and safety measures in order to keep the Zoo open and operational.
This project overcame significant challenges on site and opened its doors 7 months after breaking ground in time for the peak crowds of Spring Break 2008.