The Tennessee Debut
Ford's Garage has opened its first Tennessee location at 2102 Hamilton Place Blvd. in Chattanooga, bringing its 36th unit online across nine states as the brand pushes further into the South, Midwest, and Northeast. The 8,000-square-foot restaurant seats approximately 250 guests and sits along a high-traffic retail and dining corridor off I-75 near I-24, adjacent to Hamilton Place Mall.
The concept, founded in 2012 in Fort Myers, Fla., and licensed by Ford Motor Company, anchors its design in vintage 1920s service-station décor layered with Ford memorabilia. The menu centers on ½-lb. Certified Angus Beef burgers — including the Estate Burger with smoked Gouda, sweet red onion marmalade, arugula, fried onion straws, and white truffle bacon aioli on a brioche bun — alongside elevated comfort dishes such as Chicken Henry with Chardonnay lemon butter sauce, goat cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. Shareable appetizers, premium seafood entrees, and an extensive local craft beer and cocktail program round out the offering.
The Franchisee Behind the Unit
The Chattanooga restaurant is owned and operated by TN Legends, a partnership of native Tennesseans that the group describes as bringing more than a century of combined restaurant and hospitality experience. Managing partner Ted Moats — a U.S. Navy veteran, Vanderbilt University graduate, and a founder of Logan's Roadhouse — leads the group alongside business partner James Blaylock, hospitality veteran Scott Estes, and Swade Elliott, an 11-year Ford's Garage veteran serving as Garage Partner.
"We were drawn to Ford's Garage because it brings the heritage of one of the world's most iconic brands together with great food, friendly service and an atmosphere that's unlike anything else," Moats said. "Chattanooga's rich automotive history and strong sense of community make it a natural fit." The franchisee group's deep regional ties and multi-decade operational track record reflect a broader trend in casual-dining franchise development where operators with proven hospitality credentials are accelerating entry into underserved Sunbelt markets.
Operator Implications
For restaurant and hospitality professionals tracking themed-concept expansion, Ford's Garage's Tennessee entry offers a clear case study in site selection and brand-market alignment. The Hamilton Place corridor's proximity to Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls, and Rock City gives the unit access to both a strong local guest base and meaningful tourism traffic — a dual-revenue dynamic that increasingly shapes casual dining site strategy in mid-sized Southern markets.
The Chattanooga location operates Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with both dine-in and pickup available. As Ford's Garage continues to scale, the TN Legends partnership signals that the brand is prioritizing franchisees with authentic regional credibility and deep operational experience over purely financial sponsors — a model that independent observers in Food & Beverage Magazine have noted correlates with stronger unit-level performance in experiential dining formats.
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.