Here's the new restaurant that will replace Port Orange's former Fysh Bar & Grill

PORT ORANGE — The former Fysh Bar & Grill here that closed in April after its operator filed for bankruptcy is set to reopen in October under a new operator and a new name.

"It's going to be Tiki Docks," said Josif Atanasoski, landlord of the 18,000-square-foot standalone restaurant building at 3633 S. Ridgewood Ave. in Port Orange.

The new tenant, a Tampa company called 23 Restaurant Services, plans to soon begin interior improvements to the building after signing a new 20-year lease, Atanasoski said. The lease began July 1. "They only plan to make changes to the interior. No exterior changes," he said.

"I had a half-dozen companies approach me. I picked them because I believed they were the best. Their concept really fits the river," said Atanasoski. "I ate at their Tiki Docks in Riverview (near Tampa). Very good food. Excellent service. Fun atmosphere. I had oysters and a grouper sandwich. My girlfriend had salmon."

23 Restaurant Services operates restaurants under five different brands including Ford's Garage, an antique car-themed restaurant chain that opened a location at Daytona Beach's Tomoka Town Center in May 2022.

"We couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to come to Port Orange," said 23 Restaurant Services President Marc Brown. "It's our plan to be there the next 40 to 50 years, not just 18 months like Fysh was."

The company recently posted an announcement on its website stating its plans to open a restaurant called "Tiki Docks Port Orange" at the address of the former Fysh restaurant in October 2024. "We might be opening a little sooner or a little later than that," said Brown.

What is Tiki Docks?

The chain currently operates two locations: one at 10704 Palmetto St. in Riverview, a town just east of Tampa, and one at 3769 50th Ave. S. in St. Petersburg.

The website for 23 Restaurant Services describes Tiki Docks as eateries that serve "legendary, authentic tiki drinks and innovative food in an immersive Polynesian setting."

A look at its menu shows entrees with names such as "Pipeline Grouper Dinner," "Big Kahuna Crab Cake Platter" and "Kalua Pig Roast Tacos," "First Bites" appetizers such as "Peel 'n Eat Shrimp," "Tiki Grilled Wings" and "Tuna Poke," and hand-held offerings such as its "Fresh Grouper Sandwich," "Mahalo Pork Sandwich" and "Perfect 10 Burger."

The menu also offers salads and desserts ("Tiki Treats").

Brown said menu prices at the Port Orange Tiki Docks will be similar, or possibly slightly lower than at Ford's Garage. "Our burgers will probably be in the $13 to $17 range, while entrees will be $15 to $27."

The goal, Brown said, is to provide consistently "high quality food" at "affordable" prices that will get people to become regular repeat customers. "We know we have to earn every visit."

What is 23 Restaurant Services?

The company operates restaurants throughout Florida under five different brands. In addition to Tiki Docks and Ford's Garage, it also operates and/or has plans to open eateries under the names Yeoman's Topgolf Swing Suite, Don the Beachcomber, and Arnold Palmer's Centercup.

Brown is one of the co-founders of the Ford's Garage restaurant chain which has since grown to become a national chain. 23 Restaurant Services does not own the Ford's Garage chain, but has the franchise rights to develop and operate restaurants under that name in Florida as well as in seven other states, he said.

Yeoman's Topgolf Swing Suites are standalone restaurants in Tampa and Kissimmee that operate under a licensing agreement with the Topgolf mini-golf family fun center chain. Both restaurants have Topgolf-branded simulators where customers can play virtual golf as well as other virtual sports.

Arnold Palmer's Centercup is a restaurant that 23 Restaurant Services plans to break ground on in Gainesville in August that is similar to the Tiger Woods-backed Popstroke miniature golf-themed family fun centers, said Brown. "We have a licensing deal with the Arnold Palmer estate," he said.

Fysh's architect also does work for 23 Restaurant Services

Brown said Gravity Architecture & Design, the Orlando firm that designed the Fysh Bar & Grill building in Port Orange, also does work for his company.

Brown said Gravity Architecture's owner put him in touch with Atanasoski.

How many people will the new restaurant employ?

Brown said he expects to open Tiki Docks Port Orange with 150 employees.

What will its hours of operation be?

Tiki Docks Port Orange will be open seven days a week. The exact hours of operation have yet to be decided, but will most likely be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, said Brown. He added that the restaurant might offer live music on weekends.

What was Fysh?

Fysh, which opened in October 2022, was Volusia County's largest restaurant. The two-story building has 11,000 square feet of enclosed space and a 7,000-square-foot uncovered deck on the second floor. It reportedly had the ability to seat more than 600 customers.

The building, located next the city's Riverwalk Park, cost close to $10 million to construct, with Atanasoski footing most of that expense. Fysh operator Sidarth "Sid" Sethi paid for the interior decor and provided the equipment and furnishings, most of which was leased through his Sideats Inc. company.

Fysh offered a wide-ranging menu that included steaks, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, salads, tacos, pizza, a sushi bar, a gelato station and desserts. It also had full liquor bars both on the first and second floors as well as live entertainment.

The restaurant drew large crowds at first, generating an impressive $9.45 million in revenues in its first 14 months.

Business fell off dramatically in its final months while its debts ballooned. Sethi filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March.

A subsequent bankruptcy court filing showed Sideats Inc.'s debts had grown to $6.6 million. They included $300,000 owed in unpaid back rent and over a half-million dollars in unpaid state and federal taxes.

Sideats Inc. filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in April, which requires the liquidation of its assets to pay down some of its debts. A March 21 case summary filing by Sethi stated that the restaurant's assets were believed to be worth $562,000.

Online auction to sell off Fysh's assets

An online auction at lawlerauction.com will begin noon on July 20, to sell off the assets of the former Fysh restaurant. Bids will be accepted until 2:30 p.m. on July 29.

On Tuesday, auction tags could be seen on everything from the outdoor benches and indoor and outdoor tables and chairs to the flat-screen televisions, kitchen and bar equipment and even dishes, pots and pans.

Brown said his company intends to bid on much of that inventory.

New tenant has already spoken with city

Port Orange Mayor Don Burnette on Tuesday night said the city had yet to receive a formal application from 23 Restaurant Services for a permit to begin improvements to the former Fysh restaurant.

"We will be prepared to expedite anything we receive once we do," he said. "It is my understanding from the queries posed to us that they will be looking to reduce the seating capacity when they open."

Brown said his company will know more about exactly what permit changes it needs to apply for after the auction.

"We may paint the outside of the building and will be installing a new sign, but the interior improvements will mostly be cosmetic," he said.

Brown confirmed plans to reduce seating. "We'll probably open with 350 to 400 seats. We'd rather focus on providing customers with a great experience, not trying to pack them in," he said.

Burnette said he is excited that the parent company for Tiki Docks also owns the Ford's Garage restaurant in Daytona Beach. "I like taking my dad there," he said.

"It sounds like Josif (Atanasoski) has done a better job of vetting his new tenant," said Burnette. "If Fysh was going to fail, the sooner the better in my opinion. That location is too good to stay vacant."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Port Orange's Fysh eatery to get new name, new owner; eyes fall opening