Gator's Dockside
Gator's Dockside is a Florida-themed restaurant, started by brothers Tony and Paul Cipparone and friend John Foerst in May 1991. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, the franchise has since expanded to 19 restaurants throughout central Florida and eastern coastal areas of Florida. Heathrow, Florida-based Ultimate Franchise Systems bought a large stake of the company in 2001 , and planned to market the chain nationally, although as of 2007, such plans have not materialized yet.
The fare at Gator's is on par with comparable Americana-themed restaurants such as Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday, Chili's and TGI Friday's, but with a few "authentically Floridian" twists; for example, their most prominently-featured dish is fried alligator tail. It's prices are on the medium to low range.