Ford's Garage Westchase — Restaurant in Florida

My experience was uneven, but in the end was a 5-star experience. First, the decor and shtick of the garage theme is detailed and really neat. I don't care about cars, but the effort they put into it is amazing! I went with a party of 5 plus an infant to celebrate a birthday. It was chilly (for Florida) that night, about 55 degrees F. Where we sat might have been 57. It was cold is what I'm saying. Everyone in my party kept their jackets on and the baby had to be wrapped up in every blanket we had to stay warm. We asked for some heat, and the restaurant obliged, but it did little good. We were too close to the garage doors, and the cold was seeping in. We were not offered a different table. The server was Melanie, who was very nice and professional. She took our order and we waited. A long time. We had to grab Melanie's attention to get refills of our drinks as we waited. Eventually the food came out and, let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! Great burgers, great tater tots, great fries, just great all around. I am on a low carb diet and I got the Low Carb-erator (get it?) with broccoli pictured in this review. It was fantastic! After we had finished eating and stacked our empty plates, we were left unattended for 10-15 minutes. Some members of my party wanted dessert, and we really wanted to order it quickly, before they felt too full to eat it. I had to get up and as the hostess to call our waitress. She and everyone else came a few minutes later with a free dessert and to sing happy birthday. We had not requested it, and it was a really nice surprise. The birthday boy (late forties) was terribly embarrassed, which was entertaining for the rest of us. While it was a great gesture, the dessert was not one that anyone wanted, but they shared it anyway. We ordered Key Lime Pie and a chocolate shake as well. And we waited. Somewhere around 10 minutes later, so long that we were seriously considering cancelling the desserts and leaving, the desserts came. The shake was very, very good. The pie was good, but not remarkable. The people who had some said it tasted about the same as a pie from Publix (which is very good - not an insult). There was some conjecture that they had driven over to Publix and bought the pie, explaining the time delay. I doubt that though. ;) A manager, Kelly, came out and apologized for all the delays and gave us the desserts for free. This was very kind and attentive, seeing as we had not actually complained. Due to the extra lengths the staff went to and the actions of the manager, I am giving the experience 5 stars. I will...

Unwelcoming and Disrespectful Experience! As someone who has worked in the hospitality industry for over 25 years, I was shocked by the treatment I received during a recent lunch at Ford’s Garage in Westchase. My aunt kindly treated me to lunch, but instead of a pleasant outing, we were made to feel like outsiders.

The restaurant was not busy, so there was no excuse for the lack of professionalism. The bartender took our order, and all was fine at first. However, when the food was brought out, it was practically tossed onto the table by the runner. A manager walked by, and I asked for a side of mayo—it never came. When my aunt asked for ketchup, he pointed and said, “It’s there,” in a tone that felt rude and dismissive.

Thankfully, a server named Jennifer—who was very pleasant—brought the mayo to us right away. Manager Josh later came over and apologized, which we appreciated. But just a few minutes later, the bartender dropped the check on our table mid-meal and said, “No rush,” as if rushing us out. At that point, I decided not to order anything else to go.

The entire experience felt cold, rushed, and unwelcoming. Looking around, the restaurant wasn’t busy, and it was hard not to notice that everyone else dining in appeared to be white Americans. As two Latin American women, we couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being treated differently—and that’s deeply disappointing.

In all my years in hospitality, I’ve never experienced this level of disregard from both staff and management. Ownership seriously needs to look into retraining the team on how to be genuinely hospitable if they want guests to return and the business to succeed. There’s no excuse for making anyone feel unwelcome—especially in an industry built on...

On Father's Day, our group of 6 had excellent service from Kevin. The up front women were very courteous, sweet and helpful with our reservation. Everyone loved their food: chicken sandwich, hamburgers, salads, French fries, green beans and baby back ribs. The shrimp appetizer was a big hit, and it is a bit spicy. Drinks were great and our server did a great job with our drink orders and food service. We had 3:00 pm reservations so it helped that it was not prime time. My husband chose Ford's Garage because he is a car and history enthusiast. Everyone enjoyed looking at all the old Ford car memorabilia and taking pictures. It is a fun place for things like that. My only issue is only a personal one, that may not be anything noticeable to most patrons, but for me, it is way too loud inside. I could not have a conversation with anyone, but I need hearing aids. Lol. So, it is a great place for families since the noise helps drown out the kids' noises. It is very lively, exciting, sports friendly and has great service and food. They do have outdoor seating. It might be easy to miss the entrance from the south due to the pretty trees in this area so slow down when approaching from the south. It is a stand alone, one-story, nice newer building with ample parking and is...