Cape Coral pizza place suddenly closes after 16 years
Tim Luke had an emotionally draining three days to say the least.
“We announced we were closing, then had some hope of staying open,” the owner of I Ragazzi Pizza in Cape Coral said Tuesday afternoon. “As of now, we are closed.”
The Northern New Jersey native opened the popular pizza place on Hancock Bridge Parkway near Santa Barbara Boulevard in 2007.
“I came here with every penny I had,” said Luke, who took over the spot held by Rick’s New York Pizza since 1997.
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He and his New York-style pizza business quickly became a strong presence in the community, sponsoring youth sports teams and working with the Rotary, Chamber of Commerce and many more local organizations.
In 2016, the restaurant added its dining room and things were going well.
Then COVID and Hurricane Ian hit.
“The restaurant business is tough,” said Luke who previously opened Nonna Pizza with a partner in 2005. “It’s been tough."
After Ian came through, Luke was there for those in need even though I Ragazzi was closed.
“We donated hundreds of pizzas,” Luke said. “To anyone who needed food. We had a long line and fed them all.”
One problem after another
After losing four weeks after the storm, more issues followed.
“There was a problem with the walk-in,” Luke said. “Then the fryer went down and I had to wait 18 days. Then little things. Every time I tried to get up, something else happened.”
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All that, plus not being able to reach an agreement on his lease, led to a social-media post on Sunday announcing the restaurant would close its doors Monday, May 29.
“It’s so hard,” Luke said Sunday. “I took three pictures down and sold them. That’s when it really hit me.”
Longtime customers came by throughout the final two days to say goodbye and wish Tim and his staff luck.
“We started running out of ingredients,” Luke said. “I sold my last pizza at 8:20 Monday night.”
For now anyway.
It may not be over
On May 30, Luke met with a longtime friend from New York, “a local businessman I’ve known for a while.”
There’s talk of working together on a future project and of doing something in the near future.
“But we will just have to wait and see,” Luke said. “We may get it up and going again, but we will have to see. I’ll keep my options open, but you will definitely see me again.”
Luke will remain a big part of the community.
“Now I can go to the Rotary and not be tired,” he said. “I can spend more time with the Chamber too.”
Follow I Ragazzi on Facebook for updates on the business. In the meantime …
“I want to put sunglasses on and go to the beach for one day,” Luke said. “It’s time to take a nap.”
Robyn George is a food and dining writer for The Fort Myers News-Press. Send scoops and news to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 'I sold my last pizza': I Rigazzi Pizza in Cape Coral closes its doors
