Ford's Garage

Ford's Garage is an American indie casual-dining restaurant brand founded in 2012 in Fort Myers, Florida. The concept was created by Mike McGuigan, president of McGuigan Restaurant Concepts, and Daniel Kearns, president of Kearns Restaurant Group, together with Kearns's son, Zachary Kearns. Its name and visual identity evoke an automotive service garage and are connected to the Ford brand through a licensing relationship with Ford Motor Company. The first restaurant opened in Fort Myers in 2012. From the beginning, the concept used an automotive-oriented setting to distinguish itself from conventional casual-dining restaurants. The brand's identity is linked to Ford's name, the Ford Blue Oval logo, and related insignia, but Ford's Garage is a separate restaurant business rather than a Ford Motor Company automotive division. The relationship is based on permission to use Ford trademarks in the restaurant environment. The trademark relationship became an important early development. In May 2013, Ford's Garage Venture LLC applied to register the restaurant name. The United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected the application because the proposed mark was considered too similar to a trademark held by Ford Motor Company. In 2014, the restaurant business and Ford Motor Company reached an agreement allowing Ford's Garage to use the Ford trademark, including the Blue Oval logo and other Ford-related insignia. This agreement provided a formal basis for the brand's naming and themed presentation. Ford's Garage expanded beyond its original Florida market in 2017, when it opened a restaurant in Dearborn, Michigan. The location had particular symbolic significance because Dearborn is associated with Ford's corporate history, is the birthplace of company founder Henry Ford, and hosts Ford Motor Company's international headquarters. The restaurant was situated on Ford Motor Company property and less than two miles from the company's headquarters, reinforcing the connection between the restaurant concept and the licensed automotive brand. The chain continued to add locations in the United States. It opened a restaurant in Florence, Kentucky, in 2023 and its first New York location at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove in 2024. In 2025, the company announced plans for three New Jersey restaurants, beginning with a location at Menlo Park Mall in Edison. As of July 2025, Ford's Garage had 32 restaurants across eight states. Most of those locations were operated by 23 Restaurant Services, indicating a business model that combines brand development and licensing with multi-unit restaurant operation. The brand's wider restaurant relationships include several sister concepts associated with its operating group, including Yeoman's Topgolf Swing Suite, Tiki Docks, Don the Beachcomber, The Firestone, Capone's Coal Fired Pizza, Cabos Cantina, The Lodge, The Boathouse Tiki Bar & Grill, The Downtown Social House, Izzy's Fish & Oyster, and Bimini Bait Shack. These concepts are located in Florida and place Ford's Garage within a broader portfolio of themed and casual hospitality brands. Ford's Garage is therefore best understood as a U.S. restaurant brand rather than an automotive manufacturer or a Ford Motor Company subsidiary. Its differentiation comes from the combination of casual dining, a garage-inspired environment, and licensed use of one of the world's best-known automotive trademarks. The available reference material does not establish a separate public-company listing, independent financial disclosures, or a corporate headquarters for the restaurant brand.

Ford's Garage began in 2012 as a themed casual-dining concept in Fort Myers, Florida. It was founded by Mike McGuigan of McGuigan Restaurant Concepts, Daniel Kearns of Kearns Restaurant Group, and Zachary Kearns. The concept adopted an automotive garage identity and used the Ford name as a central part of its brand presentation. The connection to Ford Motor Company required formal trademark resolution. In May 2013, Ford's Garage Venture LLC sought to trademark its name, but the United States Patent and Trademark Office denied the application because of the similarity to Ford Motor Company's existing trademark rights. Rather than abandoning the concept, the restaurant chain entered into an agreement with Ford Motor Company in 2014. That agreement authorized the use of Ford's trademark, the Blue Oval logo, and other Ford insignia in the restaurants. Ford's Garage consequently developed as an independently operated restaurant brand with licensed access to a major automotive identity, not as a restaurant division owned by the automaker. The first significant geographic expansion occurred in 2017, when Ford's Garage opened in Dearborn, Michigan. The location was especially aligned with the concept's identity: Dearborn is historically associated with Ford, is the birthplace of Henry Ford, and is home to Ford Motor Company's international headquarters. The restaurant was located on Ford Motor Company property and less than two miles from the headquarters. This placement gave the brand a prominent physical association with the company whose marks it licensed. Expansion continued through additional U.S. markets. A Florence, Kentucky, restaurant opened in 2023. In 2024, the brand entered New York with a location at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove. In 2025, it planned to add three New Jersey restaurants, starting with Menlo Park Mall in Edison. By July 2025, Ford's Garage had reached 32 restaurants in eight states. Most locations were operated by 23 Restaurant Services, suggesting that the chain's growth depended substantially on organized multi-unit restaurant operations alongside the brand's licensing and development structure. Ford's Garage is also associated with a group of sister restaurant concepts located in Florida. These include Yeoman's Topgolf Swing Suite, Tiki Docks, Don the Beachcomber, The Firestone, Capone's Coal Fired Pizza, Cabos Cantina, The Lodge, The Boathouse Tiki Bar & Grill, The Downtown Social House, Izzy's Fish & Oyster, and Bimini Bait Shack. The portfolio context indicates that Ford's Garage operates within a broader hospitality ecosystem containing multiple themed dining concepts. The brand's history is defined by three linked developments: its creation as an automotive-themed Florida restaurant, the 2014 trademark licensing arrangement that made use of Ford branding possible, and its subsequent expansion into additional states. The available sources do not provide a detailed founding corporate structure, financial history, executive succession, or independently reported sales figures. Ford's Garage remains an active U.S. restaurant chain, distinct from Ford Motor Company's automotive operations.

• 2025

  New Jersey expansion announced

  [1]Ford's Garageen.wikipedia.org

  The company planned three New Jersey restaurants, beginning with a Menlo Park Mall location in Edison.

• 2025

  Chain reaches 32 restaurants

  [1]Ford's Garageen.wikipedia.org

  As of July 2025, Ford's Garage had 32 restaurants across eight states, most operated by 23 Restaurant Services.

• 2024

  First New York location opens

  [1]Ford's Garageen.wikipedia.org

  The chain entered New York with a restaurant at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove.

• 2023

  Florence, Kentucky, location opens

  [1]Ford's Garageen.wikipedia.org

  Ford's Garage expanded into Florence, Kentucky.

• 2017

  First location outside Florida opens in Dearborn

  [1]Ford's Garageen.wikipedia.org

  The brand opened its first non-Florida restaurant in Dearborn, Michigan, near Ford Motor Company's international headquarters.

• 2014

  Ford trademark licensing agreement signed

  [1]Ford's Garageen.wikipedia.org

  Ford's Garage reached an agreement with Ford Motor Company permitting use of the Ford trademark, Blue Oval logo, and other insignia in its restaurants.

• 2013

  Trademark application is rejected

  [1]Ford's Garageen.wikipedia.org

  Ford's Garage Venture LLC applied to trademark the name, but the application was denied because of its similarity to Ford Motor Company's trademark.

• 2012

  First Ford's Garage opens in Fort Myers

  [1]Ford's Garageen.wikipedia.org

  Mike McGuigan, Daniel Kearns, and Zachary Kearns opened the first Ford's Garage restaurant in Fort Myers, Florida.

A themed American casual-dining chain that combines a garage-inspired restaurant environment with licensed Ford branding. The brand differentiates itself through its automotive identity, multi-state restaurant expansion, and association with Ford Motor Company's trademarks without being part of the automaker's core automotive business.

• Casual dining · 2012

  Ford's Garage restaurants

  The core offering is a chain of American casual-dining restaurants presented through an automotive garage theme. Locations use the Ford name and approved Ford visual elements under a licensing agreement with Ford Motor Company. The restaurants are designed as branded dining venues rather than automotive service businesses, with the garage concept serving as the principal experience and identity system.

• Brand experience · 2014

  Ford-licensed restaurant environment

  Ford's Garage incorporates the Ford trademark, Blue Oval logo, and other Ford insignia into its restaurant presentation under the agreement reached with Ford Motor Company in 2014. This licensed identity is a defining part of the brand's customer-facing environment and distinguishes the chain from unrelated casual-dining restaurants.

• 2025

  Plan three-location New Jersey expansionStrategy

  Background

  Following its entry into New York, the chain identified New Jersey as another expansion market.

  Action taken

  The company planned three New Jersey locations, beginning with a restaurant at Menlo Park Mall in Edison.

  Aftermath

  The plan represented a further attempt to build a multi-state restaurant network in the Northeast.

  Source

• 2024

  Enter the New York marketStrategy

  Background

  The chain continued its expansion from Florida and other established markets.

  Action taken

  Ford's Garage opened its first New York restaurant at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove.

  Aftermath

  The opening extended the brand's physical presence into the Northeast.

  Source

• 2017

  Expand beyond the Florida home marketStrategy

  Background

  After establishing its initial restaurant in Fort Myers, the chain pursued growth outside Florida.

  Action taken

  Ford's Garage opened its first restaurant outside Florida in Dearborn, Michigan.

  Aftermath

  The Dearborn location connected the brand to a city strongly associated with Ford's corporate history and marked the beginning of broader U.S. expansion.

  Source

• 2014

  Resolve trademark conflict through Ford licensing agreementStrategy

  Background

  The restaurant's 2013 trademark application was rejected because the name was considered too similar to a Ford Motor Company trademark.

  Action taken

  Ford's Garage entered an agreement with Ford Motor Company allowing it to use the Ford trademark, Blue Oval logo, and related insignia in its restaurants.

  Aftermath

  The agreement enabled the restaurant chain to retain its Ford-based name and develop its automotive-themed identity while remaining a separate restaurant business.

  Source

1. 1Ford's Garageen.wikipedia.org