Ford’s Garage, a group of Henry Ford-inspired restaurants known for prime burgers and a wide selection of craft beers, plans to open its first Central Florida location in the master-planned community of Hamlin, parent company 23 Restaurant Services announced today.
The new location, the company’s seventh Ford’s Garage in Florida, is expected to open in summer 2018. The highly-detailed interior of the 7,500-square-foot restaurant will have elements of a 1920s prohibition-era bar, exposed brick walls, glass roll-up garage doors, LED lighting, and historic Ford memorabilia, including a Ford Model T hanging above the copper-topped bar.
In addition to its prime burgers, Ford’s Garage is known for its selection of 150 local, craft, and seasonal beers on a menu appropriately named “F-150,” as well as for its cocktails. Beverages are served from two bars, one inside and one that services both the indoor and outdoor seating areas. Guests can also take advantage of a private meeting room for special events.
The restaurant’s more popular menu items are the Ford’s Signature barbecue bacon burger, the Model “A” burger with a fried egg, and the Chicken Henry dish, which features a lemon butter sauce, goat cheese, and sundried tomatoes.
Hamlin is the centerpiece of Horizon West, one of the fastest growing master-planned communities in the U.S. Ford’s Garage will be located within an easy walk of the Lake Hancock waterfront. The lakeside area will include up to 400,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, entertainment, hotels, and medical and office space anchored by a Cinepolis luxury theatre. The restaurant’s location will ensure that guests can enjoy being part of the active, event-driven atmosphere around the lakefront.
“We chose Hamlin for our first Orlando-area Ford’s Garage because we want to be in a top-quality development that has a sense of place,” says Marc Brown, president of 23 Restaurant Services, which operates Ford’s Garage and several other restaurant concepts. “We want residents to see us as their neighborhood restaurant during the week and a fun place to bring family on the weekends.”
Ford’s Garage opened its first location in downtown Fort Myers in 2012 as a tribute to Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company who spent a lot of his time there. In fact, Ford’s Garage is the only restaurant licensed by Ford Motor Company and also opened its first out-of-state location this summer in Dearborn, Michigan, where Ford is based.
Ford’s Garage has since continued to expand across Florida, having recently opened three locations in the Tampa Bay area in Brandon, Westchase, and Wesley Chapel. In total, Ford’s Garage has eight locations, seven in Florida and one in Michigan.
“Ford’s Garage has an iconic and authentic brand, and they have shown that they are excellent at executing their vision,” says Scott Boyd, president of Boyd Development Corporation, the developer of Hamlin. “Ford’s Garage is an experience that residents and guests of Hamlin will enjoy every time they visit.”
The restaurant will be located near New Independence Parkway and State Road 429.
