Ford's Garage

The first Ford’s Garage opened in 2012 in Fort Myers, Florida, less than a mile from the winter home of Henry Ford. Its founders, the local restaurateurs Mike McGuigan and Daniel Kearns, built it as a 1920s service station: vintage Ford cars parked in the dining room, staff in auto-shop uniforms and a hand-hammered copper bar top. The trouble was the name. In 2013 the US trademark office refused to register it because it was too close to Ford’s own mark.

The fix was unusual: in 2014 the Ford Motor Company signed a licensing deal that lets the chain use the Ford name and the famous blue oval logo. With that blessing it spread, opening its first restaurant outside Florida in 2017 in Dearborn, Michigan, the carmaker’s home town, close to Ford’s world headquarters. By 2025 there were more than thirty branches in eight states, and Ford employees get a discount on the bill.

The food is American bar-and-grill: Black Angus burgers on brioche or pretzel buns, a patty melt, onion rings and craft beer. A few burgers stand out: the Jiffy, with creamy peanut butter and bacon; the Model A, with a fried egg and pico de gallo; and the Estate, with smoked Gouda and truffle bacon aioli. Burgers are served with fries, and calories are published in the nutrition guide; the numbers here are for the burger alone.

Over thirty restaurants in eight states, most of them in Florida, plus Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, New York and Virginia.

• Carl's Jr. (United States, since 1941). Charbroiled burgers, onion rings inside the bun, and ads nobody forgot. Also built on beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and cheese.
• Ruby's Diner (United States, since 1982). A 1940s-style Southern California diner that started in a bait shack at the end of the Balboa Pier. Also built on beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and cheese.
• Red Robin (United States, since 1969). The sit-down burger chain with bottomless fries and a burger topped with a fried egg. Also built on beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and cheese.
• Nation's Giant Hamburgers (United States, since 1952). The East Bay diner chain known for giant burgers and pie. Also built on beef, bacon and cheese.