Fort Myers Beach businesses working to reopen, bring back employees

Hundreds of people lost their jobs on Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian tore businesses apart.

The Pink Shell Beach Resort alone had to let go of 195 people.

The damage done to Fort Myers Beach is devastating, and Ian’s impact on many restaurants and bars is no exception.

“It’s unbelievable down here. I’m born and raised here. So, I have a different feeling towards the beach. So, to come down here every day and see it like this is heartbreaking, to say the least. But, there is the resiliency of this town is unbelievable,” said Billy Ignatti, operating partner at Wahoo Willie’s.

Ignatti said the restaurant was getting ready to open the week Ian hit.

“We were days away from opening. Our plan was actually to open the week of the hurricane. So yeah, we’re getting close,” said Ignatti.

While many restaurants and bars on Fort Myers Beach have a long road to recovery ahead, some business owners are making their meals mobile by purchasing food trucks.

“We’re trying to get a food truck going as soon as we can as well. So hopefully sometime next week, that’ll start, and then four to six weeks out, hopefully from opening,” Ignatti said.

Like most restaurants and shops on the island, Smokin’ Oyster Brewery was lost in the devastation, but the owners are not letting that stop them.

“We went out and bought a food truck, so I’ll be hitting the roads here soon. November 14 is actually the official rollout day. I’ll be at The Dek in Cape Coral from 12 to 6,” said Reid Freeman, a chef at Smokin’ Oyster Brewery.

Freeman said he will be cooking up some of his old fan favorites, but “A lot of people are expecting me to do what I did here. And a truck, obviously, that’s not feasible. So, no soup, no island bread, no steamed crab, oysters.”

When WINK News asked him about the resilience of Fort Myers Beach, “You know, we like to party hard, but we also work hard. So, it’s gonna get cleaned up. Take time, like everything, but we’ll be back up, you know, all these old favorites around here. There’ll be back eventually. It’s going to take a long time, though,” said Freeman.