Sunday night, the Rowdies Den closed its doors to downtown St. Pete for good. But one restaurant brand will soon transform 200 First Ave. S. into a 1920s eatery and bar.
Born in downtown Fort Myers in 2012, Ford's Garage mirrors the look of a Prohibition-style service station. The restaurant introduced its gourmet burgers, comfort food and craft beer to Brandon last year, and St. Pete is the latest Bay area location that Ford's has committed to. (Currently, there are Ford's Garages under construction in Wesley Chapel, Citrus Park and Countryside.)
According to Tara Matheny, director of business development for 23 Restaurant Services, the parent company of Ford's and Yeoman's Cask & Lion in downtown Tampa, talks about purchasing the Rowdies Den building have been in the works for a while. But the paperwork wasn't finalized until last week.
"Tampa Bay [is] just so strong," Matheny said of the region's food and restaurant scene, which she notes has created a large community for more businesses to come in.
In St. Pete, the plan is to carry locally made beer on top of core Ford's items. Each location has its own selection of brews (typically 40 on tap and 120 bottles), many of which come from in-state breweries that speak to the restaurant's Florida roots.
Another way that Ford's brings a local feel to its restaurants is by naming signature burgers after residents — city council members or otherwise. Matheny said she couldn't share who St. Pete's "Burgers of Fame" are being dedicated to; those will be revealed once the location opens.
"Even though we're expanding into new markets, we want to keep it local," she said. "We do want it to have that local, special, wow-factor feel."
The St. Pete Ford's should launch by summer 2017. Tight-lipped about details, Matheny also told CL that 23 Restaurant Services has a tiki-themed spot planned for Riverview, as well as another restaurant coming to downtown Tampa.
This article appears in Nov 3-10, 2016.
