In the Greater Round Top area, where art, culture, and history blend seamlessly, philanthropy is at the heart of community life. 

This interview series conducted by Greater Fayette Community Foundation CEO Susannah Mikulin highlights the generous individuals and businesses fostering a culture of giving in Greater Round Top. Their efforts make a lasting impact by supporting the nonprofit sector in this rural region. 

Cinda and Armando Palacios have watched Round Top grow from a quiet rural community into one of Texas’ most celebrated destinations. As owners of three beloved local businesses including Hotel Lulu, Lulu’s Italian restaurant, and Mandito’s Tex-Mex restaurant, they have helped shape the area’s thriving hospitality scene. 

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Lulu's Round Top (Photo by Jordan Geibel)
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Mandito's

“We purchased our first property here decades ago, when Round Top was still a wonderfully quiet, sleepy town,” the couple shares. Though Round Top has changed, they believe its sense of community remains at the heart of what makes it special. Their philanthropy is rooted in faith, gratitude, and paying forward the abundance they have cultivated here. “We recognize that we have been remarkably fortunate,” Cinda explains. “Because of that, we feel a quiet duty, and great joy, in giving back.”

That spirit is what inspired Round Top Restaurant Weeks. After participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks for years, the couple saw an opportunity to bring the foodie-inspired fundraising model to our rural region. “August is traditionally a slower month for the hospitality industry in Round Top,” explains Cinda. “RTRW brings business into our local restaurants during this lull, which we can channel into supporting our staff and the nonprofits that keep our community strong.” 

For the Palacios’, partnering with the Greater Fayette Community Foundation was essential to ensuring the initiative’s impact extended throughout the community. “A rising tide lifts all boats, and GFCF is the perfect embodiment of that philosophy,” they share. Through the partnership, funds raised by participating restaurants can be strategically directed to nonprofits addressing the area’s most pressing needs.

Cinda and Armando’s vision is for Round Top Restaurant Weeks to become an inspiration for other rural communities, showcasing what is possible when visitors, residents, and business owners work together to make a lasting contribution to organizations doing vital work. “We want to prove that you don’t need a massive metropolitan footprint to make a monumental difference,” says Cinda.

Beyond hospitality and food security, the Palacios’ philanthropic support extends to local organizations serving rural education, arts, and animal rescue. Their message is simple: “Be kind, be generous, and be accepting. At the end of the day, we are all in this together, and the more care we show one another, the stronger our community becomes.”  

To learn more about Round Top Restaurant Weeks, or how GFCF supports community-minded leaders like the Palacios’, visit www.greaterfayette.com.