We all have a happy place. For some, it’s a creaky old rocking chair on the front porch. For others, it’s a first-class seat on an airplane. For Sarasotans, it could be Le Mans Kitchen, the new fine dining concept inside the Sarasota Ford dealership. “Everyone hates going to car dealerships,” says Matthew Buchanan, the president and CEO of Buchanan Automotive Group. “We thought, ‘What would happen if we could change that and design a business where people want to come in and get their service done? That would change everything.’” Buchanan and his team are no strangers to creating a sanctuary for their customers. Their dealership has a movie theater, a relaxation room and an aquarium. “We want people to truly love coming in for service,” he adds, “and we are trying to completely redefine customer service.” Buchanan and Mirza Velic, Sarasota Ford’s chief experience officer, wanted to revamp the dealership’s small cafe when they came up with the idea for Le Mans Kitchen. Recognizing the French influence on fine dining, they brainstormed a way to connect France to the Ford brand and landed on the 24-hour Le Mans Race in France.
In 1966, Ford faced the challenge of building a car that could beat a Ferrari in Le Mans—a feat chronicled in the film Ford v Ferrari. “It really was a miracle. They never could win anything before, and then they just go out and win first, second and third place in the race,” Buchanan says. “It made Ford a racing icon; they got heavily into Mustangs and everything else, and it put them on the map. We thought, with all that racing history, us doing a lot of Mustang sales and our Ford GT in the showroom, ‘Why not turn this place into that world?’ We wanted people who don’t have the opportunity to go to Le Mans, France, to be able to step into a different place and time.”
Le Mans Kitchen feels worlds away from a typical car dealership. Painted dishes and tile floors, reminiscent of the French countryside, are balanced out with racing “Easter eggs”—like the checkered-flag-patterned rug—to create a warm and welcoming space. Guests will find the same attention to detail in the establishment’s menu. “Simplicity is the key here,” adds Executive Chef Joel Casillas, who worked alongside Chef José Martinez of Maison Blanche to develop the restaurant’s ever-evolving menu. “The balancing of layers of flavor is what this whole menu is about.”
The Caesar salad embodies this culinary goal. The chefs split a whole romaine heart in half, then stuff its layers with blacked chicken. They top the romaine heart with homemade Caesar dressing and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and stick it in the broiler. “It comes straight from the broiler, so you’ve got that crust of the Caesar dressing on top,” says Casillas. “Most of the time, when you go to restaurants, this salad is drenched in dressing and is soggy. But here, you get to enjoy the freshness of the romaine with the dressing on top, and the chicken layer is a nice little surprise.” A thin and crispy crouton slice garnishes the dish, which is like a salad version of a Kinder egg. Speaking of sweets, patrons can indulge in the eatery’s gelato, milkshakes and croissants. Chef José Martinez scoured the Sarasota area for croissants, landing on Rendez-Vous French Bakery—bakers of the restaurant’s signature tire-shaped croissants. The team at Le Mans Kitchen fills the croissants with a housemade peanut butter pastry cream, then rolls them in crushed peanuts for a bit of crunch.
While the menu is French-inspired, the team strives to cater to customers’ desires. “They tell us what they want. Some bring their trucks here from up north and the Midwest and just want some steak and potatoes, and they express that to us,” adds Restaurant Manager Blake Campbell, “and we have the fortunate capability of adhering to their needs.” On Mondays, meat lovers can rejoice in the fall-off-the-fork short rib, braised for 15 to 16 hours. The chefs reduce the braising liquid for three more hours, heightening its flavor, then serve it as an au jus alongside seasoned steak fries for the ultimate comfort meal.
From the morning menu, guests can enjoy dishes like the Le Mans Kitchen Souffle Pancake or the Rolled French Omelet. From the midday menu, they can sample meals such as the Caesar salad or the Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich, and delicious mocktails make a winning addition to breakfast or lunch. To dine at Le Mans Kitchen, guests must be Sarasota Ford customers, but anyone can get service on their car to qualify as a customer, receive a restaurant voucher and join the Sarasota Ford family. “We have amazing customers and our customer base is huge,” says Velic. “This is one small way for us to say, ‘Thank you for your business and for making that happen.’”
