Car dealerships rev up food service

Leslie Dupont makes a lobster salad for lobster rolls at Mr. D's Cafe at DeLuca Toyota on Southwest College Road in Ocala.

Bruce Ackerman/Star-Banner

By Rick Allen
Columnist

Published: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 11:07 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 11:07 a.m.

Hmmmm, the "maintenance required" light just came on; better get the Rav to DeLuca for an oil change. And while there, maybe I'll get a Dead Elvis, too.

Facts

Mr. D's Cafe
Where: DeLuca Toyota, 1719 SW College Road, Ocala
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday

Tin Cup Cafe @ Honda of Ocala
Where: Honda of Ocala, 1800 SW College Road
Hours: 7 a.m.-3:15 p.m., Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-1:45 p.m. Saturday

Chef Sharon's Cafe
Where: Jenkins Hyundai, 1602 SW College Road, Ocala
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday

A what?

A Dead Elvis is the most popular smoothie — chocolate, peanut butter, banana and Greek yogurt — at Mr. D's Café right inside the front door of the new Toyota dealership at 1719 SW College Road, a café run by Jim and Leslie Dupont.

The Duponts go through dozens of Dead Elvises every day. "That's the last one for the day," Dupont said as he handed a cup to a waiting salesman last week. They also go through a lot of other things like cheese lasagna, Maryland crabcakes, Maine lobster rolls (on Fridays only) and wraps named after the Toyota Camry and Tundra.

"Leslie is very eclectic in her cooking," Jim said. "She creates things out of thin air."

But this is not the only place to grab a bite while waiting for service or buying a car.

Across College Road at Honda of Ocala, Last week, Teresa Vadney whipped up a grilled chicken sandwich for Georgia Francis, in for an oil change for her existing car and financing details on a new car. "This is so convenient," Francis said, finishing her meal. "And it's so juicy, it's hard to believe it wasn't cooked right here."

Mr. D's, Tin Cup Café @ Honda of Ocala, the new Chef Sharon's Café in the Jenkins Hyundai expansion and other car-dealership eateries across the nation are a growing trend in auto sales. And though small, it's not new: the concept goes back nearly 50 years to the Horseless Carriage Restaurant inside Galpin Ford in North Hills, Calif., according to caranddriver.com and thecarconnection.com.

Mostly, they're convenient, both for customers and staff — no one has to leave the grounds: not customers stranded while cars are serviced, nor employees servicing them or waiting for the next walk-in.

And with dealership staffs between 75 and 100, these are numbers of potential customers every day that comparable-sized eateries would die for.

Moreover, these eateries are not limited just to workers and customers. Anybody can drop in during open hours.

And we thought Restaurant Row was closer to the interstate.

Honda's food service came first: Vadney jumped right from closing her Tin Cup's Tavern in downtown Ocala five years ago to the small kitchenette at the dealership's service waiting area.

"One of the smartest moves I've ever made," she said. "It's for the convenience of the customers. And time flies when you're having fun."

Down the road, the Jenkins Auto Group put space for Chef Sharon's Catering into the recent expansion of their Hyundai pyramid at 1602 SW College Road.

The Duponts at DeLuca came to Ocala several years ago from Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. Leslie ran Heart & Soul here until it closed earlier this year. Jim runs the front counter in the airport-like lobby, taking orders and serving salads and sides from a refrigerated glass case, while Leslie assembles sandwiches and other orders in cramped quarters in back.

"It's amazing what you can do it a small space," she said.

These are not true restaurants in the sense that food is cooked on site; the Food Code requires fire suppression systems, grease traps and other things too unwieldy for a dealership. Most of the cooking is done at a commissary and heated here.

So you're not going to find fare available at full-service restaurants around town.

Mostly, they're convenient, both for customers and staff — no one has to leave the grounds: not customers stranded while cars are serviced, nor employees servicing them or waiting for the next walk-in.

And with dealership staffs between 75 and 100, these are numbers of potential customers every day that comparable-sized eateries would die for.

Moreover, these eateries are not limited just to workers and customers. Anybody can drop in during open hours.

And we thought Restaurant Row was closer to the interstate.

Honda's food service came first: Vadney jumped right from closing her Tin Cup's Tavern in downtown Ocala five years ago to the small kitchenette at the dealership's service waiting area.

"One of the smartest moves I've ever made," she said. "It's for the convenience of the customers. And time flies when you're having fun."

Down the road, the Jenkins Auto Group put space for Chef Sharon's Catering into the recent expansion of their Hyundai pyramid at 1602 SW College Road.

The Duponts at DeLuca came to Ocala several years ago from Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. Leslie ran Heart & Soul here until it closed earlier this year. Jim runs the front counter in the airport-like lobby, taking orders and serving salads and sides from a refrigerated glass case, while Leslie assembles sandwiches and other orders in cramped quarters in back.

"It's amazing what you can do it a small space," she said.

These are not true restaurants in the sense that food is cooked on site; the Food Code requires fire suppression systems, grease traps and other things too unwieldy for a dealership. Most of the cooking is done at a commissary and heated here.

So you're not going to find fare available at full-service restaurants around town.