Tennessee Debut
Ford's Garage opened its first Tennessee restaurant on Oct. 13 in Chattanooga, bringing the automotive-themed dining concept to 2102 Hamilton Place Blvd. near Hamilton Place Mall — and pushing the brand's total footprint to 36 locations across nine states. The 8,000-square-foot unit seats approximately 250 guests and sits just off I-75 near the I-24 interchange, one of the city's highest-traffic retail and dining corridors.
The Chattanooga opening is operated by franchisee TN Legends, a group of Tennessee natives with more than a century of combined restaurant and hospitality experience. Managing partner Ted Moats, a U.S. Navy veteran and Vanderbilt University graduate who co-founded Logan's Roadhouse, leads the partnership alongside James Blaylock, Scott Estes, and Swade Elliott — an 11-year Ford's Garage veteran serving as Garage Partner. "Chattanooga's rich automotive history and strong sense of community make it a natural fit," Moats said.
Menu & Format
The menu centers on half-pound Certified Angus Beef burgers — including the Estate Burger topped with smoked Gouda, sweet red onion marmalade, arugula, fried onion straws, and white truffle bacon aioli on a brioche bun — alongside premium entrees such as Simply Grilled Salmon and Chicken Henry with Chardonnay lemon butter sauce. Shareable appetizers include Famous Firestone Shrimp and a Giant Funnel Tower of Piston Onion Rings. An extensive selection of local craft beers and cocktails rounds out the bar program. The unit is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with dine-in and pickup service available.
Expansion Context
Founded in 2012 in Fort Myers, Fla. — minutes from Henry Ford's winter estate — the brand is an official licensee of Ford Motor Company and has been pushing into the South, Midwest, and Northeast. The Chattanooga opening is consistent with a broader full-service and fast-casual restaurant expansion trend that has accelerated across high-traffic suburban trade areas in recent years. For convenience-channel operators, the emergence of polished-casual concepts near major retail corridors underscores the competitive pressure on foodservice programs at c-stores to differentiate on quality and experience — particularly in the burger and craft-beer segment where on-premise dining competitors continue to raise the bar. The Hamilton Place location, anchored by proximity to Lookout Mountain and regional tourist draws, positions Ford's Garage to capture both local repeat traffic and visitor volume, a dual-audience dynamic that QSR and full-service operators alike are targeting in gateway Southern markets.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
