Ford's Garage Estero — Restaurant in Florida

Lots of of Fords Garages locations are implementing a mandatory 20% tip policy. Check with restaurant location if this concerns you. With that said I usually Tip 20% for expected service and over if extraordinary service. I rarely would tip under 18% Why I don’t like this policy is cause servers could give you less service if they know you are mandated to tip 20%. This location is 20% for parties over 4 some are for all party sizes. Our waiter was Dalton, really great server. He definitely earned over 20% tip. The food was good, not great. I ordered the burnt tip melt, wasn’t very hot. this time it lacked bbq sauce. I ordered a side of mashed potatoes due to location not have a different fryer for seafood (shared fryer possible cross contamination concern). The mash potatoes were terrible ! They tasted like a week old. One spoon full and it made nauseous. I stopped eating. I advised the server and he said they looked like they shouldn’t have been brought out and apologized. He brought me another serving which I didn’t want to even try. I couldn’t continue eating after that. I took the rest of my sandwich home and ate at a later time after stomach settled. I warmed it up and ate it, Although it is a popular dish, I felt that the meat wasn’t very fresh. Next time I visit I will shoot for the burger. I have been to this location twice now. My review (stars) is based on this location only and based on my two visit. The food has always been good. I would say burgers are great. This time my burnt tip sandwich could have been fresher and better but it was still good, not great but good. Mashed potatoes someone in kitchen should have gotten an ear full from management. Everyone else in party enjoyed their food. They loved the appetizers, onion rings, tuna, fries. I can’t rate the fried foods due to shared fryer but they looked fresh and nobody complained. Aside from my mash potatoes and sandwich there was nothing left at the end of meal. I overall recommend This location and the chain in a whole. But I would urge the corporate office to review 20% mandatory tips which is more like a service charge and should be listed has such. I feel that this could lead to lower quality and service standards. Also some signage on door would be great, but to be fair hostess...

The food was lacking in flavor. Kitchen times were really slow. It was over 45 minutes to get our food, & when it arrived, it was not hot & did not come with the advertised sides. When I politely asked for the sides that we're missing. I was met with attitude. It was as if I was interrupting her day by asking her to do her job. A manager did stop by our table asking how dinner was tasting. I didn't want to go through everything all over again. Just because I knew it was gonna make me angry and run the rest of the night there. So I opted to give the abridged version of the lackluster food and? Alexa dasical server who did not want to do her job and the manager defended the server. Saying it was a taste of preference. That's a new one. I haven't heard that 1 before. Enough said... I will not recommend this restaurant or its chain & I will be very clear as to why when sharing my experience. Now, if you think this is harsh. I want you to know that I have given Ford Garage 3 separate times to prove me wrong & that it was just the server having a bad day. Unfortunately, the "want" of the server to do the job they were hired to do needs a little re-training in customer service, & how to smile. It makes a world of difference. Good luck in training other young people how to properly do their job. Hopefully, the mention of pay as an incentive will host better servers &...

We went to Estero to watch Cirque Du Soleil show since we missed it here in Fort Lauderdale. Ford’s Garage was its own extension of the show with the outmost attention to detail, decor and food quality. The chefs are obviously the backbone of this place, we had the Bison Burger with truffle fries and the Jalapeño Burger with sweet potato tater tots, both burgers were unique and prepared flawlessly. The truffle fries are a must but do eat them all, they don’t taste good reheated. We also had the shrimp appetizer which was delicious! The bar has a frozen line to keep your beer cold which I thought was top knotch. The only reason I give it 4 stars is because our bartender Brian was not the friendliest, he may had been having an “off” day but that’s not my problem, I typically prefer to sit at the bar for the fast service and occasional banter from bartenders, Brian was standoffish to guests and rude to co-workers (even bad mouthing them behind their back -loud enough all of us sitting at the bar could hear-) which I just thought was out of place and unprofessional. We did have the pleasure to encounter Monique briefly and she was a delight! She gave us recommendations, was cheerful, kind, thoughtful and accommodating. Our tip was a reflection of Brian’s...