Doc Ford’s celebrates National Yucatán Shrimp Day with May giveaways, 7-K race
Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille will be celebrating National Yucatán Shrimp Day this May with giveaways, a 7K race in Sanibel and the savory flavors of the house specialty.
Beginning May 1, customers who purchase a Yucatán menu item or a bottle of the restaurant’s proprietary Yucatán sauce at any of Doc Ford’s locations, including the Fishermans Wharf location on Fort Myers Beach, receive an entry to the grand-prize drawing and the chance to win a YETI cooler filled with restaurant swag, including T-shirts, koozies, a bottle of Yucatán sauce and a $100 gift card.
Each restaurant will draw a winner on May 24.
“National Yucatán Shrimp Day is our biggest holiday of the year and an opportunity to showcase the sauce,” said Joe Harrity, a partner with HM Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Doc Ford’s. “The dish has been featured in The New York Times ‘Cooking’ column and is our most popular entree.”
The national celebration originated in 2020 after Doc Ford’s applied to National Day Calendar as a unique way to recognize its Yucatán Shrimp entrée. The suggestion was selected from thousands of applications.
A mainstay on the restaurant’s menu for over 20 years, the iconic dish pairs steamed peel-and-eat shrimp with a savory spicy sauce made from butter, fresh Key lime juice, garlic, cilantro, Colombian chili pepper sambal, salt and pepper. It also appears in baked oysters, shrimp tacos, the bloody Mary and the new fried Yucatán chicken sandwich.
The sauce’s seven ingredients were the impetus for the Sanibel location’s May 24 7K race, a first-ever fun run benefiting the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Sea School. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. and finishes at the restaurant and includes live music, food, drinks and a photo booth. The entry fee is $40. Kids, ages 10 and under, race free.
Race packet pickup is available from 3 to 7 p.m. on the following days:
Wednesday, May 21, at the Doc Ford’s on Sanibel, 2500 Island Inn Road
Thursday, May 22, at the Doc Ford’s on Fort Myers Beach, 708 Fisherman’s Wharf
Friday, May 23 at Fleet Feet Fort Myers in Bell Tower Shops, 13499 S. Cleveland Ave., Suite 209.
Asteria Wellness, a Sambal Sponsor of the race, will have a nurse stationed at every location for packet pick-up and will be offering free B12 injections for all registered participants. To guarantee a shirt in the preferred size, runners must be signed up for the race by Monday, May 5. Packets will also be available the morning of the race at 6 a.m. All participants are automatically entered for a chance to win a Doc Ford’s customized YETI cooler.
Awards will be presented to the top finishers in each age group and overall winners. Costumes are encouraged. The winner of the YETI giveaway will be announced at the end of the race.
“As season winds down, this race is a fun and festive way for the local community to reconnect and have a great time,” said Harrity.
For more information or to register for the run, visit runsignup.com/docfordsnationalyucatanshrimpday7k.
Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.