Ford's Garage Orlando International Outlets — Restaurant in Orlando

I have seen Ford's Garage elsewhere and always wanted to visit one! The atmosphere was thorough from the classical cars out front and raised as a display inside to the restrooms with tire faucets. Very cool.

We sat right next to one of the vehicles inside and were surprised when it randomly had a fog machine type exhaust feature. Pretty fun! However, we were distracted throughout lunch as one of the tires had an incredibly loud squeaking sound with their rotation.

As others noted, there is a 20% service fee which we acknowledged upon entering. The service was amazing, Eunice was very attentive and friendly. So we did not mind paying the 20% included fee as the standard tip. I could see how this would be frustrating with poor service though. I'm honestly not clear if I was supposed to tip more in reading some of these other reviews. It was my understanding that anything additional would be optional as an extra extra tip.

We ordered two items off the lunch menu: the 1/3 burger and the fish and chips. It took quite a while for the food to come out, although I believe there were only perhaps four tables there when we arrived (it was significantly more crowded as we left).

1/3 burger: honestly, when it came out I laughed a bit. This burger looks incredibly small. I get it, it's the lunch menu, but wow. It looks kid-sized. I'm happy that the actual ground beef was cooked well, it was both seasoned and cooked appropriately. It was actually cooked true medium with a little red in the middle. So, it was at least a thick(ish) patty to make up for the small bun size. It was enjoyable.

The fish and chips was also good but a small portion. I thought I had found a picture of it on Google reviews and it looked much bigger. My husband also got the kettle chips which came out looking like the lid of the seasoning jar fell off into the chips. He dusted each one off before eating them and there ended up being a literal mound of seasoning sand on his plate afterwards. He told me his meal was overall good nonetheless, but he recommends not ordering off the lunch menu if you come really hungry.

The non-lunch special meals were more pricey, but they looked appealing: buffalo chicken sandwich, brisket sandwich, etc. Tasty.

Unfortunately, with the 20% fee, the long wait for food and the small portions for lunch, it's probably a one and done for me. I'm glad to have visited, but likely...

Placed outside the outlet mall in Orlando Florida, my wife and I visited this located on December 11,2024 at 630pm and I’m sure happy we did. It was a random choice as we were finishing up our day and wanted to try it out, the lay out and every detail of this restaurant was amazingly throughout the facility to include the bathrooms, down to the pens the crew were using. Once we were inside, the hostess at the door advised us of a 20% service fee already on the bill so just be aware gratuities are not expected. Anyway continuing with the review, we were seated immediately upon arrival at a booth and were greeted by our waitress Tamara. Tamara took our drink orders with me having a $4 draft during happy hour and my wife ordered a Lemon drop. Both of our drinks were out to us within minutes by host Javier. Javier shown very good hospitality as he wasn’t even our waiter but this man went to all tables and was extremely friendly and kind to all he served. Tamara took our orders and even gave her recommendations and informed us that the location has only been open for 3-4 weeks but gave us the best selling dishes. My wife ordered the buffalo chicken Mac and cheese in a skillet, and I ordered the chicken Henry. My wife would rate her meal a 9-10, more spicy than she thought it was but she loved it. I had a couple of bites and the first bite threw me off as I didn’t anticipate the spiciness as I’m not much of a spicy food person but did enjoy it enough to have a few good bites. My chicken Henry was complimented by loaded mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, the chicken was smothered in ooey gooey goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes with basil and other ingredients. Now when I tell you I never ordered chicken from any restaurant believe me, but today I was feeling risky and decided to give it a go. The first bite send me to heaven especially when that creamy got cheese paired with the sauce and tomatoes with the tenderness of what I believe to be blackened chicken. Overall for me the meal was a 10/10 and would highly recommend. I would have loved desert but food sent us over the edge filling us both up along with some drinks. Thank you for the great food, great service and...

A Disappointing Experience

This was our second visit to the restaurant. We were aware of the 20% surcharge for their service, and we were fine with it. However, this time we experienced a very unpleasant experience that I feel it's necessary to share.

Upon arrival, we were asked to wait 30 minutes outside because the place was supposedly full. During that time, we saw several people—mostly white Americans—walk right in without waiting. We cleverly assumed they already had reservations, but when we went back in to inquire, a staff member confirmed that they don't take reservations. From then on, I didn't move until we were assigned a table.

From the start, we noticed a very different treatment toward us compared to other diners. We weren't offered the option of the terrace until we directly requested it, no waiter approached us until we called, and one waitress even threw straws at us when serving us.

The most uncomfortable thing was that, before we'd even finished eating, they had already brought us the bill as if they were trying to rush us out. During our stay, we observed that African Americans and some foreigners received the same treatment as us: they were made to wait outside, while other customers were immediately ushered in. I don't want to imagine this is due to racial bias, but it's hard not to notice when it's repeated constantly.

The food is acceptable; I have no complaints about that. But the service was uncomfortable and discriminatory enough that I wouldn't return. It's a real shame that a place is marred by such unprofessional and...