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Gator's Dockside moving into Milliken's Reef location at Port Canaveral

Wayne T. Price
Florida Today

PORT CANAVERAL — Gator's Dockside, a popular Florida restaurant chain, is planning to open on the site previously occupied by Milliken's Reef restaurant.

OPEN: A Gator's Dockside opens at Port Canaveral at the location of the former Milliken's Reef in the port's cover area.

Restaurant operator John Foerst said his plans are to open the Gator's Dockside in Port Canaveral by September. Typically Gator's Dockside locations employ about 100-125 people.

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Just like Milliken's Reef, the new Gator's Dockside will offer commanding views of the port's main channel and the gigantic cruise ships and cargo ships, not to mention manatees, dolphins, fishing boats and rocket launches from Port Canaveral.

While many of the current Gator's Dockside locations — this will be the 14th in the chain — are near a body of water, this one will be unique in that it's next to a port channel. Also, the port's Gator's Dockside will be larger than a typical restaurant, which is 7,000 square feet.

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"This one will be 8,700 square feet so it's a bit larger," Foerst said. "However, we intend to make it as close to a Gator's Dockside as possible."

Foerst said he purchased all the Milliken's Reef assets, including the long-term lease the Milliken family had for that piece of property with the port, for $2.8 million. After that he's putting a lot of money into remaking the property into a traditional Gator's Dockside.

"We have gutted the place," Foerst said.

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Another difference is that other Gator's Dockside sites are typically family-oriented, neighborhood restaurants. Tourists probably will be a greater part of the customer base at the port's Gator's Dockside than other locations.

The port location would make it the second Gator's Dockside in Brevard. There's a Melbourne location on Wickham Road.

The menu at Gator's Dockside typically includes sandwiches, salads, wings and, of course, gator tail.

Price is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Price at 321-242-3548

or wprice@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @Fla2dayBiz

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