Ford’s Garage

I had heard mixed reviews about Ford’s Garage, but I thoroughly enjoyed it after I got to visit for lunch today! It is located very close to my workplace on Causeway in Brandon in the former Buca Di Beppo building near Cheddar’s. There is plenty of parking since the restaurant shares a lot with Joann Fabric and several other businesses. I like that the seating is spread out and they did not try to cram tables together to crowd the place. They also have a few outdoor tables with limited waitstaff. My friend and I waited about 15 minutes to be seated on this particular Thursday around 1pm. I would imagine the wait is a bit more extensive on the weekend. Almost all of the other diners during our visit were senior citizens enjoying some burgers and sweet tea.
Our waitress was very sweet and attentive. We took forever to decide on our drink and food choices but she was smiling every time she checked on us. We split the Spinach Artichoke Dip ($ 10.95) which was a large helping and extremely tasty. We had thought about ordering other meals but this filled us up and we were limited on time. We both got side Caesar salads which were larger than expected and very delicious.
The atmosphere is really great and probably the best selling point. Vintage Ford cars everywhere, tire sinks and gas pump handles in the bathrooms, vintage pumps as outdoor décor, rags as napkins, etc. The burgers are named after local celebrities and political figures.
I really enjoyed my visit and will be back soon. I want to try a burger since everyone around me was ordering one and seemed to enjoy it! Drink specials were also amazing…$ 3 wells, wines, bloody marys and margaritas 11 – 7 every day! Beer selection was amazing between drafts and bottles! Something for everyone. Give it a try!

I wanted so badly to like Ford’s Garage, because the concept is awesome! However, the service could use a little work.
My fiancé and I came on a pretty busy Thursday. The restaurant was about ¾ full. We waited several minutes behind a party of 7 while the hostesses figured out what to do with them. When we got to the hostess stand they spent another good two minutes trying to figure out where to place our party of two.
When we were finally seated it was another few minutes before our server came by. We then found out we weren’t given a draft beer menu. When we ordered, they were out of the two beers we happened to want. The beers they did have were pretty good though — lots of local drafts. The burgers we got were awesome and humongous (I had a BBQ burger and my fiancé had a spicy jalapeño burger). They were so big that next time I think I’d order it without the bun. My side of broccoli was seasoned well and tasty.
We had a $ 50 gift card and the bill came to right around $ 40. We had planned to leave the remainder of the gift card as the tip but when the server came back there was nowhere to sign. We asked if we were able to leave gift card money as a tip and she told us that we have to tell her in advance how much of a tip we want to put on the gift card and that she would have to run it again. What? I’ve never seen that before at a restaurant that has gift cards.
Other reviews have mentioned how loud this restaurant is, and I agree. I wouldn’t recommend coming here if it’s your first date or if you’re meeting someone you haven’t seen in a while.

I was a little skeptical about trying this joint based on some of the reviews. However, I decided to go check it out for myself. Upon walking in, I was immediately greeted by the hostess and led to a comfortable table smack dab in the middle of the restaurant. While waiting I embraced all the Ford emblems, the gas tanks outside and the interesting décor inside. I will say it did take a while for the server to come, her name is Shawna. Shawna was very friendly. I informed Shawna this was my first visit here and needed help on a selection because everything looked tasty. Shawna suggested the Chicken Henry. She couldn’t have made a better recommendation.
CHICKEN HENRY Grilled chicken breast, topped with a lemon butter sauce, goat cheese,
basil, sun-​dried tomatoes, served with Ford’s Classic french fries and your choice of green
beans, steamed broccoli or homemade coleslaw… I opted to have the mac and cheese instead of the other side choices.
The chicken was very tender and flavorful. I’m a sucker for sauces and my tastebuds thanked me for the lemon butter sauce. The mac and cheese was OK, not a big fan, I think it should have had a little more cheese. Overall I had a good experience for my first visit.
Oh…house martinis was only $ 3 SCORE!
Check out the cute bathroom photos

Talk about attention to detail. I was pleasantly surprised when my best friend took us here and I got to see some cool old school cars from Ford. This restaurant /​bar is completely themed on the entire Ford brand everywhere. Lots of selections in beers and mixed drinks, however fell a little short in the food quality.
I ordered a hamburger and it was good, but not fatburger good. The quality for such high investments on the details of this restaurant should have been a little bit higher standard and better premium grade beef. Servers are all extremely friendly and they offer flights of beer that kind of make up for the lack of quality food. Overall 4 stars, will be back to try other food items.

I wanted to like this place. The inside is nice. I like how is decorated. There’s just too many constraints (cons). The only food I liked was the Firestone shrimp. It was really good. The shrimp was crispy and tasted a little spicy. I didn’t like their burgers at all, and my burger was never cooked right, even after four visits. The service is hit or miss, usually a miss. Every server has been slow, and don’t really check on us.
I like the check-​in system that send texts to let you know when your table is ready, but there seems to always be a long wait, even though there are plenty of empty tables.
My hubby kept dragging me here, even though I told him I wasn’t a fan. I haven’t really enjoyed my experiences (any of them), so I will not return.

I’ve been a few more times since my last update. This last time, I was really disappointed. Everytime I visit, it seems to slip more and more. My first visit was amazing, but for some reason, they weren’t able to maintain that momentum. I keep coming back hoping things would go back to the way they were my first visit, but they didn’t.
The last visit, I was told there was a long wait. I asked if there were any first-​come-​first-​serve seating, and the response was, «only at the bar». The bar was full, so we waited for a table. After our table was finally ready, I walk up to the hostess stand to be seated. Some people walk in behind me, and I hear them ask if there is any first-​come-​first-​serve seating. By this time, there was a different hostess. The response was, «at the bar, and anything outside». That ticked me off a little. I would have gladly sat outside to avoid the 30 to 45 minute wait. Also, on more than one occasion, I’ve had to get up and go get my own silverware after the food arrived.
I’ve ordered a burger on every visit. I always order my burgers medium, but they come out well done, rare, medium rare, but only twice has the burger come out as I ordered it. This last visit, my patty was very dry and flavorless, like freezer burn. Exactly like freezer burnt meat. The lettuce was wilted and clear. As a matter of fact, none of the ingredients were fresh.
My last couple of visits, I really did not enjoy my food, nor my dining experience. For that reason, I don’t think I’ll be back. The food is very expensive, and inconsistent in quality. I’ve never had good service, and most of the time it is really bad. It makes me sad to write this, because Ford’s Garage has such good potential. Their execution was just subpar. Instead of improving over time, it seems they have actually gotten worse. I love a good burger, and I hate to say it, but Ford’s Garage is not the place to get one.