Ford's Garage Sarasota — Restaurant in Sarasota

The food was great and our waitress was phenomenal. The problems were before we sat down. We waited 30 minutes outside in 90 degree heat getting eaten up by mosquitoes and I’m not surprised that it was busy being a Saturday night and with how good the food was I know it must be a popular place. But I have a baby, under a year, who is starting to sweat and get red faced and a toddler 40 minutes past her usual dinner time and so we were really glad when our table was called. The parts of our party, family reunion, who got there first had mistakenly said first available. So we began to be seated outside. I told the hostess that we couldn’t do that with the baby as I held the hand of my now hysterical toddler screaming over the loud music. And I’m trying to talk over those screams and getting a bit hysterical as she argues with me saying that we should sit outside and I’m trying to explain that we can’t keep the baby out in the heat any longer as she’s already overheating and I really can’t afford to be calling an ambulance for my kid getting heat stroke because she’s tiny and susceptible. Again while my toddler is screaming and I’m trying to talk over her. In comes Bret who apparently thinks it’s an awesome idea to threaten and intimidate a woman with an infant and a toddler. Could’ve offered help but instead decided to say he was going to “set a manager on you when you begin yelling at people.” While standing over me and yelling in my face as I try not to lose my hold on my toddler losing her mind on the floor now scared of this strange guy who popped up out of nowhere to yell at her mom. I’m about to cry because I’m scared wondering if this guy standing over me is going to hit me like he seems to want to or just try to get me thrown out for getting frustrated trying to figure out dinner for my kids. He reduces me to tears in front of my family and I’m ready to leave, I have an overwhelmed and hungry and scared toddler, I’m overwhelmed and scared and embarrassed and in tears, and my baby is hungry and overheated and scared and in pain. The hostess is trying to tell my husband and all 9 other people in our party that we will all be put back on the waiting list, just not an option at this point, to sit us all together despite being told several times that we will sit happily at as many different tables as it takes to sit inside. And I’m just walking out, because I try really hard not to yell and I’d rather just leave than cause conflict but I’m not willing to put my baby at risk over conflict. I’m supposed to protect her and that’s my job. When finally we’re seated at different tables inside which is fine, you’re busy and we just want to eat and we really don’t care if we can’t shout down some long table at each other. But I still flinched every time Bret walked by, I’m horrible with names but I will remember his name and his face for a long time. Maybe he didn’t mean to be so threatening and I don’t know if he or anyone will see this review but if he did ever see it I’d like him to just take a moment next time and before he reacts so violently just see if maybe the situation could use some...

Edit: 1 year later for my second visit, I'm left with the impression that the quality has gone downhill. Several points of dissatisfaction, which is a shame since our friends really like this place. Our server took a long time to come back to take our order, so it took about 20 mins upon entering the building to place the order. We turned around in our seats and saw her standing around and talking to another employee. While the burgers are one of their strong points on the menu, I think their other food items could use the same attention and care in preparation. This time I ordered the meatloaf, and though the taste was rather good, I was very unhappy that I finished the meal and was still hungry, as they only served one single slice and not two. I've always seen other places serve two. I usually take leftovers home everywhere I go, but a small woman leaving hungry is a pretty bad sign. The green beans were not cooked long enough, and I had to pick out some of the too-old beans that were steamed enough but too tough to eat. The bowl they served their mac and cheese in was not full - it actually was barely over half full. I realize they measure out the servings in ounces, but it's a poor presentation if it's not closer to full. Not only did I feel cheated about the serving size, the mac and cheese tasted on the same caliber as standard boxed versions, with nothing to glam it up. The worst part of this is how they charged me an extra $3 because mac and cheese is considered a premium side. The regular side is 5.50 and premium is 6.99, so shouldn't it be an extra 1.49? The meal comes with two regular sides, and I subbed one side out for a premium, which tasted nothing like a premium. Why did the premium extra charge get doubled? Extra disappointment, the really good chocolate cake they had last year is gone now. I will not come back again unless this is properly addressed by the manager via the feedback I submitted on their website.

Original: Ford's Garage takes themed attractions to a new level. It's quite memorable. Gas pumps as door handles, kegs as urinals, and tires as sinks. You'd have to see for yourself to appreciate it. As for the food, my friends could go here on consecutive days, order the same exact meals, and happily eat them as leftovers for several meals all in a row. I sampled the truffle fries, onion rings, and a gigantic slice of chocolate cake, all very delicious. The wait was pretty long so we went to the bar first, and the bartenders and my strawberry daiquiri were fantastic. The back patio near the bar is quite dark after sunset, and we could not see the menu without a flashlight or see the food well once it came out. Rylee was a great server for...

My family and I are on vacation in Sarasota and a local family member suggested we try out Ford's Garage for dinner. As tourists to the area, this was a great spot! We were able to combine a museum tour feel along with a pretty good meal! At the entrance was a model Ford car...say around 1922ish or so. It made for a great photo shot. The garage theme spilled over into the restaurant in the form of fuel pump door handles, shop towels for napkins, and glass garage doors as windows. In the restrooms tires serve as sinks and gas tanks as urinals! I wish I had a better transition to food after mentioning urinals...but it is what it is! Melissa was our server. She was outstanding! She gave us great suggestions on appetizers and drinks. There was a beer and whiskey connoisseur in our group and he said the suggested local IPA draft was very good. He also order a whiskey drink that was included orange bitters, honey, and was garnised with a slice of fried bacon! He said it was very good as well. For appetizers, we had Ford's Pickles, Firestone Shrimp, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and Giant Funnel Tower of Jumbo Piston Onion Rings. It was reported that the pickle spears were evenly breaded and still had a crunch to them which was pleasing! The shrimp were very tasty as well! The spice level is high! The Buffalo dip was served with fresh baked chips and I was told they were ok. The show stopping appetizer was the onion ring tower! It was served on a oil funnel ( how cute is that)! They were crunchy and well seasoned. The kids loved it! Our entrees were Beer Battered Fish N' Chips, Chicken Henry, Shrimp and Grits and the Estate Burger. The Beer Battered Fish and Chips contained a generous portion of cod. The fish was reported to have a nice crunchy batter and it was tender and flaky inside which is what well cooked fish and chips should be. The restaurant has a twist on Shrimp and Grits by serving it with a tomato sauce. The texture of the Grits were on point! Nice and creamy! The shrimp were on the spicy side...but I loved it! The bacon bits and chived offered a nice crunch to balance the creaminess of the grits. I'm not a huge fan of tomato sauce, so I could have done without that. But overall...this dish was a win for me! My sister ordered the Chicken Henry which was grilled chicken with a lemon butter sauce and goat cheese. She reported the dish as being a 5 out of 5 without any other descriptive. The rest of our party indulged in the Estate Burger. The words Ford's Garage was grilled on the top of the bun! I'm told the White Truffle Aioli was very fragrant and the burger itself was delicious! Overall...we rate our visit to Ford's a 5 out of 5! We will definitely...