FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Nestled right under the Matanzas Pass Bridge, the old Bonita Bill’s property is getting a new lease on life after being torn up by Hurricane Ian. It’s about to reopen as Bonita Fish Company.
Fox 4’s Fort Myers Beach Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski got an early tour of the restaurant to show you what’s new.
Watch to get an early look at what's new with the Bonita Fish Comapany restaurant:
The team welcomed him into the newly renovated space to show off the redesigned bar, expanded dining areas, private event space, and, of course, the view.
But General Manager Krystian Martinez said getting to this point took a lot of work. Everything there was damaged by hurricane Ian.
“The kitchen had to be completely gutted, and the main dining as well. Significant damage, of course,” Martinez said.
Martinez said Bonita Bill’s handled the first round of repairs, and after buying the property in January, his team focused on making it stronger for the future.
“Most of it is just that we can remove and bring back to rebuild quickly instead of from the ground up,” Martinez said.
Joe Harrity with HM Restaurant Group, which owns the new restaurant, said there’s even more on the horizon - like extra dining space on the new dock and a 35-slip marina expected to be finished in January.
For now, the team said they’re ready to welcome their first guests on Nov. 3.
“I’m just excited. I’m excited to get open and see what we can accomplish,” Martinez said.
