Fort Myers Beach breakfast spot nearly ready for business after Ian

An iconic breakfast spot is almost ready to get back to business on Fort Myers Beach.

Since Hurricane Ian, every day has been an uphill battle for The Island’s Pancake House.

The restaurant has been in recovery mode for nearly two years, and they want to serve up something really special for the island.

The business owners are working to create a wall of memories.

WINK News reporter Maddie Herron went to the restaurant to speak with the owners to find out when they’re reopening.

The Island’s Pancake House is inches from the finish line of their rebuild.

The owners told her they just needed to check a few more maintenance boxes before they set a date.

Two years ago, Hurricane Ian ripped through this restaurant and destroyed nearly everything.

One of the owners said one of their signs is one of the only items salvaged from Ian.

After some touch-ups, it stands as a symbol of resilience, and a sign to rebuild.

To own the island’s house of pancakes was a long-time dream for Brian and Stacey Martins.

But just three months after opening, disaster struck.

“When you got here and you saw the devastation, I don’t think anybody could prepare for that,” Brian said.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of hard work got washed away by Ian.

The couple took over the restaurant that’s been serving Fort Myers Beach since 1977.

“That’s why we decided to rebuild for the community. It’s this has been a staple in the community for, you know, a long time, and people want to come back, so hopefully it gives them a sense of starting again too,” said Stacey.

Getting things back up and running, has not been a pan-cake walk.

“Cried a lot, a lot, and sat on it for a couple of days, and we looked at each other and said, we can do this. Let’s figure out a way to stay,” she added.

Walls once battered down and broken are now splashed with colorful murals, re-created by the same artist who painted them for the previous owners.

Two remaining walls sit empty, a blank canvas for the future, which the Martins plan to fill with memories of the past.

Brian explained the goal behind the wall, “We’re trying to get the locals to send us their story and their pictures, and we’re going to have a tribute wall to Ian. So, we just don’t want anybody to forget what happened down here two years ago.”

Liz Ronk lives on Fort Myers Beach and survived the storm, two years later, those memories are still fresh enough to bring her to tears.

“I get emotional,” said Ronk, “We’re slowly getting there but we are getting there.”

As an island local, Ronk said she ate at the pancake house all the time.

We showed her photos of how far her go-to lunch spot has come since Ian.

“Nice and crisp and oh, that’s beautiful. Oh, that’s so nice,” she said.

Awes of excitement to see a Fort Myers Beach staple rebuild from the rubble.

“Fight for your dream,” said Brian.

“The journey is gonna continue,” added Stacey.

According to the owners, the grand re-opening should be in a few weeks, but for now, WINK News will keep you updated with the latest.