Ford’s Garage cofounders launch Arnold Palmer-themed dining and golf concept
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Mar 7, 2024

The Tampa hospitality company that turned Ford Motor Co.’s brand into a sit-down restaurant has a vision for another iconic brand: golf legend Arnold Palmer.

Arnold Palmer Enterprises has signed a licensing deal with Tampa-based 23 Restaurant Services, the cofounder and Florida operators of Ford’s Garage, to create a dining and entertainment concept called Arnold Palmer’s CenterCup. The first location will be in Gainesville; 23 Restaurant Services has already signed a deal to open in Butler Town Center, an open-air lifestyle center.

In addition to Ford’s Garage, 23 Restaurant Services also owns Yeoman’s Cask and Lion, Don the Beachcomber and Tiki Docks Bar and Grill. Its 2023 revenue was $118 million.

At a time when traditional retailers are downsizing and closing stores, Arnold Palmer’s CenterCup could become a major player in retail real estate. The Gainesville location will occupy 4 acres, between an 11,000-square-foot restaurant and a 19,000-square-foot covered outdoor activity area (which includes golf but also cornhole, billiards and more). The total investment in the Gainesville location will be between $8.5 million and $10 million, said Marc Brown, president of 23 Restaurant Services. He said the company will start with five to six locations in Florida but sees potential for up to 100 across the U.S.

Two other sites are in the works, in Jacksonville and Panama City. Brown said the concept can fit sites as small as 2.9 acres.

“We would love to find a site in Tampa, but it’s a tougher market,” Brown said. “We’ll probably end up in Wesley Chapel.”

Beyond driving retail real estate development, the plans for Arnold Palmer’s CenterCup are emblematic of the types of licensing deals 23 Restaurant Services plans to pursue.

“Our vision for the future is that we want to be the trusted hospitality champion for iconic brands,” Brown told the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

From garages to golf

The company has a solid foundation with Ford’s Garage, a service-station-themed restaurant that has 24 locations and seven more in development. It is seeing early success with Don the Beachcomber, a brand the company purchased in 2022. Donn Beach, aka Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, founded the brand after his travels in the South Pacific and is widely considered the founding father of modern-day tiki culture. Its first Don the Beachcomber location opened in late February in The Cambria Hotel on Madeira Beach to overwhelmingly positive online reviews.

Tiki touches will find their way into the other 23 Restaurant Services concepts: In downtown Tampa, the company is adding a pirate-themed speakeasy to Yeoman’s Cask and Lion after taking over Wall Street Pizza’s location. Known as Morgan’s Cove, it will also feature tiki touches pulled from Don the Beachcomber.

The company also continues to invest in Tiki Docks Bar and Grill, opening a covered patio at the Riverview location that represents a $1.2 million investment.

“Our history with Ford Motor Co. has helped pave the way toward doing Arnold Palmer’s CenterCup,” Brown said. “We also have a licensing agreement with TopGolf for [virtual suites at] Yeoman’s Cask and Lion. We want to do more of this.”

Grab a bite, with or without golf

The core group of investors behind 23 Restaurant Services will invest $4.5 million to $5 million in the first Arnold Palmer’s CenterCup location. The company will spend around $2 million in cash on the project and finance the remaining costs with bank debt, Brown said. It is a completely separate venture from Ford’s Garage, which 23 Restaurant Services has contemplated taking public.

Ideally, Brown said, customers will feel like Arnold Palmer’s CenterCup is a place where they can grab dinner, regardless of whether they want to partake in outdoor activities. The restaurant will be called Palmer’s, and Brown said the menu will be “elevated, casual dining.”

“Our idea is that we want the restaurant to stand on its own, even if they didn’t want to play mini golf,” he said.