WHAT IS TIKI DOCKS? HERE’S MORE ABOUT THE NEW RESTAURANT COMING TO PORT ORANGE

PORT ORANGE — The folks that operate the popular antique car-themed Ford’s Garage restaurant in nearby Daytona Beach are bringing a Polynesian-themed eatery here this fall.

The planned Tiki Docks restaurant will open where the former Fysh Bar & Grill used to be at 3633 S. Ridgewood Ave., next to the City of Port Orange’s Riverwalk Park.

“We pride ourselves on operating high-quality restaurants,” said Marc Brown, founder and president of 23 Restaurant Services, the Tampa company that operates eateries under five different brands in Florida, including Ford’s Garage and Tiki Docks. “Today’s consumer, they expect more and they should. We know we have to earn every visit.”

23 Restaurant Services opened Ford’s Garage at 1495 Cornerstone Blvd., Daytona Beach, in May 2022. The restaurant is part of the Tomoka Town Center retail complex just east of Interstate 95 Exit 265.

WHAT IS TIKI DOCKS?

23 Restaurant Services on its website describes Tiki Docks restaurants as “tropical getaways” that serve “legendary, authentic tiki drinks and innovative food in an immersive Polynesian setting. … Our Tiki story is fueled by flavor, food, sun, fun, and rum!”

The chain currently has two locations: the Tiki Docks River Bar & Grill at 10704 Palmetto St. in Riverview, just west of Tampa, off of US-301 South, and the original Tiki Docks Bar & Grill at 3769 50th Ave. S. in St. Petersburg. Both opened in 2020.

WHAT’S ON ITS MENU?

The menu at the Tiki Docks in Riverview include entrees with names such as “Pipeline Grouper Dinner,” “Big Kahuna Crab Cake Platter” “Kalua Pig Roast Tacos,” “Fish ‘n Chips,” “Signature Riverview Ribs” and “Speared Ribeye” (steak skewers).

“First Bites” appetizers include “Peel ‘n Eat Shrimp,” “Tiki Grilled Wings” and “Tuna Poke.”

Tiki Docks also serves hand-helds such as “Fresh Grouper Sandwich,” “Mahalo Pork Sandwich” and “Perfect 10 Burger,” as well as salads and “Tiki Treats” (desserts).

Brown describes menu prices at Tiki Docks as “affordable,” with burgers in the $13 to $17 range and entrees in the $15 to $27 range.

SIZE WON’T BE AN ISSUE, SAYS TIKI DOCKS FOUNDER

Fysh Bar & Grill closed in April after just 18 months in business. At 18,000 square feet, it was Volusia County’s largest restaurant.

While it generated an impressive $9.45 million in revenues in its first 14 months in business, sales at Fysh began tailing off significantly in the latter part of 2023.

Sideats Inc., the entity that Sidarth “Sid” Sethi ran his Fysh restaurant under, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March. Sethi changed it to Chapter 7 in April. A subsequent bankruptcy court filing showed his Port Orange eatery racked up $6.6 million in debts, including $300,000 in unpaid back rent and more than a half-million dollars in unpaid state and federal taxes.

Some in the community have speculated that the enormous size of standalone restaurant building makes it highly unlikely for any eatery there to succeed.

Brown disagrees with that notion. In an interview with The Daytona Beach News-Journal, he said size should not be an issue for Tiki Docks Port Orange. He noted that the original Tiki Docks in St. Petersburg is also 18,000 square feet, the exact same size as Fysh.

That said, Brown acknowledged the seating at Fysh was perhaps too ambitious. Sethi claimed Fysh could accommodate 600 customers at a time. Brown said his people counted seating for “just north of 500,” including chairs and bar stools.

Brown plans to reduce that number to 350 to 400. “We’d rather focus on providing a great experience, not trying to pack people in,” he said.

In a show of faith in the Port Orange location, Brown signed a 20-year lease with landlord Josif Atanasoski that went into effect July 1.

IT HELPS THAT BROWN KNOWS THE ARCHITECT

Fysh Bar & Grill was built at a cost of nearly $10 million, with Atanasoski footing most of that expense, which included acquiring the land and constructing the building. Sethi paid for the interior decor and provided the equipment and furnishings, most of which was leased.

One reason why Brown is confident the former Fysh building will be up to his company’s standards is because the architectural firm that designed it, Orlando-based Gravity Architecture & Design, also does work for 23 Restaurant Services.

Gravity Architecture’s owner is the one who put Brown in contact with Atanasoski when Fysh closed.

“The restaurant (building) is only 18 months old,” said Brown, who anticipates only needing to only make “cosmetic changes” to the interior.

Brown also plans to repaint the exterior of the former Fysh building and replace the signage. He has already commissioned a new logo for the Port Orange Tiki Docks.

Brown said he hopes to buy a lot of the physical assets for the former Fysh restaurant which will be put up for bid in an online auction at lawlerauction.com July 20-29.

Items to be auctioned include benches, chairs, tables and bar stools, the bar and kitchen equipment, the dishes, pots and pans, and several flat-screen televisions.

HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL TIKI DOCKS EMPLOY?

Brown expects to initially employ 150 people, including permanent and seasonal workers.

WILL IT HAVE LIVE MUSIC?

Live music was one of the draws for Fysh when it opened in October 2022.

Brown said he will likely offer live entertainment at Tiki Docks Port Orange, but not seven days a week as Fysh did. Live music will probably be relegated to weekends, he said.

WHAT WILL ITS HOURS OF OPERATION BE?

Brown said Tiki Docks Port Orange will be open seven days a week, but said the exact hours of operation have not yet been decided.

“We’ll probably be open on weekdays 11 (a.m.) to 11 (p.m.) and Fridays and Saturdays, and maybe Thursdays, 11 (a.m.) to 1 (a.m.),” he said.