Longtime downtown Fort Myers restaurant latest in recent closings in Lee, Collier
Blu Sushi's final day in downtown Fort Myers will be June 28, making it the latest high-profile restaurant to close unexpectedly in the last few months.
For the last decade, the sleek and trendy hot spot in the River District’s Earnhardt Building has been a staple along First Street.
“Everyone’s struggling right now,” manager Larry Lare said on a quiet Saturday afternoon. “It’s difficult to stay afloat.”
Blu Sushi is among a few restaurants recently closing or undergoing changes in Collier and Lee counties.
Bridge closing, other hurdles for Blu Sushi
It's been a go-to for leisurely lunches, creative cocktails and artistic sushi since opening in February 2015.
After making it through COVID and Hurricane Ian, more recent challenges have plagued the restaurant.
“The change in parking is one issue,” Lare said, referring to the new automated pay stations and fee changes that took effect in December. “People are upset and don’t want to come down. It also has a big effect on employees.”
Another huge hurdle has been the 10-week closure of the Caloosahatchee Bridge. To complete the project a year ahead of schedule, the bridge completely closed at midnight on May 31 and will reopen on Aug. 11.
“The bridge is really bad,” said Lare, who has managed the downtown location for six years. “It shut down Art Walk. Events like that keep us going.”
Labor and cost of goods have also contributed to the restaurant’s woes.
“More money is going out than coming in,” Lare added.
Not all bad news for Blu Sushi fans
The original McGregor Boulevard location will remain open.
‘It’s been going 25 years,” Lare said. “It’s on the way to the beach and does well.”
There’s still time to swing by the downtown restaurant for one last meal and to say goodbye to the staff.
“I think we are going to throw a party on our last day,” Lare said.
Stay tuned to Blu Sushi’s Facebook page for updates.
Blu Sushi Downtown, 2262 First St., Fort Myers (until June 28), (239) 362-2843, follow on Facebook; Blu Sushi McGregor, 13451 McGregor Blvd., Suite 23, Fort Myers, (239) 489-1500, follow on Facebook; blusushi.com
Other closings, changes in Naples, Fort Myers, Bonita, Fort Myers Beach
Rosati's
This popular sports pub on South Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers closed suddenly on Thursday, June 6.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce we have to close our business,” a June 7 post on the restaurant’s Facebook read. “We were informed Thursday that we lost our lease.”
Known for its Chicago famous thin-crust and deep-dish pizzas, Rosati's anchored the north end of the 21,000-plus square-foot Shops at Jamaica Bay for almost a decade.
“We greatly enjoyed serving you over the past 9 years!” the post concluded. “Thank you!”
Two other Lee County locations remain open, including one just six miles away on Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers, west of I-75. Another Rosati’s sports pub is about eight miles south on Tamiami Trail in Estero. Naples also has Rosati’s at 818 Neapolitan Way.
Go to myrosatis.com for more information on Rosati's.
RUDE Shrimp Co.
One year after moving to their new Fort Myers Beach location, RUDE Shrimp owners Lisa Lahners and TJ Holzapfel received the bad news.
“We’ve been getting pretty good at rolling with the punches the last two years, but this one hits hard,” the restaurant's June 11 social media post read. “As of (Tuesday) afternoon, we were informed that our lease at Moss Marina will not be renewed.”
The couple first opened RUDE Shrimp in the former Edelweiss Burger joint across from the Lani Kai on Estero Boulevard in March 2022. Six months later, storm surge from Hurricane Ian washed away the building that housed their restaurant.
RUDE Shrimp’s local shrimp-focused Hawaiian fusion cuisine returned to that original site on Jan. 7, 2023, after shipping containers from Nebraska acted as the restaurant and a food truck became a kitchen.
Five-plus months later, they opened their shipping container-anchored waterfront spot at the marina last June.
“This news comes with a heavy heart, we will be closing our doors effective June 24th,” the post continued.
Hopefully, this won’t be the last of Lisa, TJ and RUDE Shrimp.
“MAHALO for all of your support over the past few years,” the post concluded. “This isn’t goodbye forever, but until we meet again (a hui hou).”
The RUDE Shrimp Co. is open at 450 Harbor Court, Unit 1 on Fort Myers Beach, from 3-9 p.m. Wednesday to Friday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through June 23. Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.
Shawn & Tony's Kitchen
May 31 was the final day for Shawn Leiva and Tony Clark's friendly, from-scratch restaurant in the Beacon Executive Suites business park in Fort Myers.
When they opened on March 20, 2023, it was a slimmed-down, simplified version of The Gathering Place. That beloved restaurant with a dedicated and loyal following was open nine years before closing on Feb. 25, 2023.
“We’ve been doing this for 10 years between the two (restaurants),” Clark said shortly before closing. “We started January 20, 2014.”
A post on the restaurant's social media page pointed to the “condition of this building” as the reason for the closure.
“I just can’t with this building no more,” Clark said in the post. “The conditions have … I just can’t.”
All is not lost though. The popular duo may be back with a new venture.
“Maybe,” Clark said. “I’m in talks but you know how that goes. Maybe something down the road. Could be a couple of months or a year.”
In the meantime, Clark recently began selling his delightful desserts via Tony's Bunch of Deliciousness at four locations in Fort Myers — Skip One Seafood, Arts & Eats Cafe, Farmers Market Restaurant and Metro Deli & Cafe. For more information, go to tonysdelicious.com.
The Causeway
This unique food hall and bar in Bonita Springs unexpectedly closed its doors Thursday, May 23, until further notice.
“I found out about it at 3:30 (p.m. May 23),” said Carl Smith, executive chef and co-owner of The Causeway. “We were partners with another group. I owned the kitchen and they owned the bar. We sublet from them. They’ve deleted the partnership.”
It opened less than six months ago on the south end of Old 41 Road in Causeway Commerce Park at the longtime site of Causeway Lumber with three restaurants (Smith’s Smithy’s, Orzo and Roast), a dessert bar (the Dessert Lab) and beer wall under one roof.
“I’m no longer involved with it effective immediately,” said Smith who already has a loyal following thanks to his Brit Pit food truck. “I don’t know if they will reopen as The Causeway.”
Smith, who said he is bringing his food concepts from the restaurants with him, may not be gone from the local dining scene for long.
“We’re already looking for a spot,” said Smith, whose wife Carol and daughter Natasha were also staples at The Causeway. “We are not leaving the area. We will open in Naples or nearby. If the site we find is right for us, it’s right for us. Whatever happens will happen for a reason. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
The Causeway is at 28280 Old 41 Road, Unit 1, Bonita Springs. Follow on Facebook for updates.
Poached
When Kenneth Vandereecken and Brandi Lostracco's mom-and-pop daytime café at Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt closed its doors May 28, it wasn't by choice.
“We spent all this time developing relationships with everyone in the community: the schools, the firefighters, the police. We consider ourselves wholly a part of this community, and to be told and shown that all of that can be pushed aside is shocking and surprising.”
A recent article by food writer Diana Biederman covers all the details of Vandereecken reaching out to the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt’s management company asking to see terms of the lease extension.
"For months on end,” Vandereecken tried reaching out again and was told the owners were still on vacation and wouldn't be back for another two weeks.
She called it “absolutely ridiculous, happening over and over” after more than six queries.
In the end, the couple had to close that location and are “reeling from this and our focus is ensuring all our staff get jobs in the area."
The Bonita Springs Poached, under Jamie Stalowski’s ownership, has the same menu and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily at 24600 S Tamiami Trail in Pelican Landing. Go to poachedrestaurants.com for more.
Pizzata Pizzeria + Apertivo
This North Naples pizzeria closed for good June 9.
As reported by Biederman, owner Davide Lubrano Lavadera said he and Vinny Gallagher “made the complicated decision to sell and focus our energy up north with bigger projects.”
Biederman's conversation in January with Gallagher confirmed the duo had left Naples, leaving their business partner to helm the Immokalee Road location.
“Seasonal waves are hard to navigate from far away,” Lubrano Lavadera added.
Gallagher had also mentioned a new project, Pizzata Pizzeria + Birreria, a sit-down restaurant and bar that opened in February.
Pizzata, which opened on Aug. 3, 2022, was Naples Daily News’ most awarded restaurants in the past two years.
Cicis Pizza
Proprietor Philip Santucci announced the closing of this longtime pizza joint along Immokalee Road, just east of Airport-Pulling Road via his Facebook.
"It is with great sadness that after 20 years of serving the community, I will not be renewing my franchise agreement with Cicis Pizza," he wrote. "Watching generations of families visit the store has brought me so much joy. My gratitude for all is beyond words."
Originally set to close June 9, fans flocked to the beloved family-friendly pizza place upon hearing the news of its closure. Santucci posted that he was out of food on June 7 and therefore closed.
As for future plans, Santucci on Facebook said that, while he's "sad to say goodbye, I'm excited for what the future will bring."
He did not elaborate on his future plans, ending his statement with: "This isn't a goodbye, it's a 'CiCi' you later."
And ... Bonita Bill's for sale
While not closed, this three-decade-old, laid-back waterfront restaurant and bar on Fort Myers Beach is for sale according to its social media posts on Wednesday, June 12.
“It is with a heavy heart we share the decision made by the Semmer family to sell the Bonita Bill's properties and business,” the posts read. “This decision comes from all of Bill Semmer’s children in the resolution of his estate."
Bill Semmer, who bought the Bonita Fish Company and Fish House in 1991 (which was originally a fish house in 1926), rebranded it as Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Cafe and Tiki Bar. The beloved community figure, who also owned Semmer Electric, died Jan. 20, 2023.
He is survived by his children Nikki Semmer, Katie Semmer-Reynolds and Billy Semmer.
Bonita Bill’s gained even more recognition when it reopened six months after Hurricane Ian with a Bertram yacht perched on a dock next to its open-air dining room. Nearly two years later, it’s still there.
The future of that yacht and Bonita Bill’s are still up in the air.
“We will continue to remain open and operate as usual until the property is sold sometime in the future,” the post states. “Real estate Inquiries can be directed to SVN Commercial Partners at 239-851-5492.”
Bonita Bill’s, 702 Fishermans Wharf, Fort Myers Beach; 239-463-6119, bonitabills.com and on Facebook and Instagram
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at [email protected]
Dave Osborn and Diana Biederman contributed to this report
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Blu Sushi in downtown Fort Myers latest restaurant to close suddenly
