Sarasota Ford opens multimillion-dollar restaurant inside the dealership

Michelin Star recipient and world-renowned chef Jose Martinez didn’t mince words when Matt Buchanan, president and managing partner of Sarasota Ford, came to him with a big and bold idea. Buchanan knew Martinez a little, having dined at the chef’s noted Maison Blanche on Longboat Key with his wife, Diana Buchanan, on big occasions.     

Buchanan’s plan: create and open a high-end, French-accented restaurant inside the Ford dealership, open only to customers. “I told him this was a crazy idea,” says Martinez, “but that I am up for the challenge.”