Ford's Garage may rethink 20% service charge after customer pushback

Ford's Garage president addresses backlash

Billy Downs, president of Ford's Garage, says the chain may rethink its 20% service charge policy after customer pushback.

“I think that we need to listen to the consumer on those things, to be honest with you”

20% service charge policy tested in Florida

Ford's Garage is testing a 20% service charge at five Florida locations to cover labor expenses without traditional tipping.

Franchisee 23 Restaurant Services president

Marc Brown, president of 23 Restaurant Services, says servers earn higher wages under the service charge model without alienating most customers.

“Our servers in the locations that run our service charge program are making significantly higher average hourly pay than our servers and bartenders in locations that do not have it”

Service charge model details

The model adds a 20% service charge to each check to support commission-based compensation for servers and kitchen staff.

Customer feedback on service charge

Most customers accept the fee because they value the Ford's Garage experience, though some oppose mandatory service charges.

“The biggest pushback is people don't want to have a mandated service charge”

Ford's Garage's affordability focus

Ford's Garage has 36 restaurants across nine states with average customer checks of $26 and value meals starting at $10.99.

Ongoing discussions about policy change

Both Ford's Garage and 23 Restaurant Services say they are discussing changes to the service charge policy but have not made final decisions.

“We have not made any decisions, but we talk about it regularly”