27 restaurants that have closed around Fort Myers, Cape Coral since the pandemic

The following Southwest Florida restaurants have permanently shuttered since the novel coronavirus was declared a pandemic March 11. 

Know of more closures? Email details to atometich@news-press.com with #closed in the subject line. Closures we can verify will be added to the roundup. 

Fort Myers-area closed restaurants

Applebee's: The chain's location on U.S. 41 at the intersection of Cypress Lake Drive in south Fort Myers closed in late April. The California-based chain did not respond to requests for comment. The Applebee's on Dani Drive in Fort Myers and in North Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples remain open. Find more at applebees.com. 

Aurelio's Pizza: The chain's location at Gulf Coast Town Center closed in late March. "We would like to thank the Fort Myers community for their support over the past several years. At this time however, we have decided to close our doors," a March 25 Facebook post reads. "Please visit our neighboring location in Naples, Florida for any pick-up orders." The Town Center Aurelio's opened in late 2008 according to The News-Press archives. Its Naples store is in Coastland Center mall. Call 239-403-8882 or visit aureliospizza.com for more. 

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Green Cup Cafe: The plant-based cafe closed at 1412 Dean St., downtown Fort Myers in late March, shortly after the state shut down dining rooms. It has come under new ownership, with plans to reopen by early August. Find more at facebook.com/organicgreencupcafe. 

Rusty's Raw Bar: The local chain's location in the Island Park neighborhood of south Fort Myers has closed. Rusty's remaining restaurants are on Daniels Parkway in south Fort Myers, as well as in Naples, Cape Coral and Estero. Visit rustysraw.com for more. 

Sidecar Treats: The popcorn and ice cream shop announced the closure of if its store at 1512 Hendry St., downtown Fort Myers May 1 on Facebook. "We made a difficult decision to walk away. ... There are no funds to be had, to keep us open - believe me, we tried," the post read. "We want to thank the Ffort Mmyers community for you(r) loyal support." The Sidecar Treats in Cape Coral remains open. Visit sidecartreatscc.com for more. 

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Leopardi's Italian Restaurant: After 18 months in business in the castle-like building at 13851 S. Tamiami Trail, Leopardi's closed in mid-March. A restaurant spokesperson declined to comment at the time of its closure. Leopardi's opened in November 2018 in the 11,000-square-foot space that first belonged to Dwyer's. The space has housed several concepts — Icabod's, Balleyorney, Tilted Kilt, Belushi's, Leopardi's — in recent years. 

Square 1: The Tampa-born chain known for its burgers and cocktails closed in early July at Page Field Commons in Fort Myers. "With the current conditions due to the pandemic the business is no longer viable," a July 6 message to employees said. The local store was one of Square 1's last locations. Only one remains, in The Villages in Central Florida. Find more at square1burgers.com. 

Sweet Tomatoes: The buffet chain known for its endless soup and salad bar shuttered all of its 97 restaurants nationwide in early May, including locations in south Fort Myers and Naples. The Sweet Tomatoes in south Fort Myers opened in 1997. The North Naples location opened in spring 2010. 

Tijuana Flats: Readers report the location at 8001 Dani Drive off Six Mile Cypress Parkway in Fort Myers has closed, as well as the store in Gulf Coast Town Center. Neither is listed on the fast-casual chain's website. Tijuana Flats has not responded to requests for comment. The website shows stores in Estero and Naples as open. It says the south Fort Myers location at 12640 Cleveland Ave. is temporarily closed. Visit tijuanaflats.com for more. 

Cape Coral's closed restaurants

BAM German Bakery: BAM closed July 11 after six years in south Cape Coral. "For all of those who don’t know, we unfortunately are closing down due to the covid-19," the bakery posted to its Facebook page July 10. "We have found out bankruptcy is our option we are forced to take. We are so heart broken and disappointed, you could never imagine." BAM opened in April 2014 in the former Oltimes Bakery space at 1507 SE 47th St. In December 2018, business partners Remy Gratesol and Alain Lamartiniere teamed with longtime local French baker Andre Gratesol to take over the bakery. 

More: Fort Myers restaurant news: One chain closes, another opens (with free pizza)

Perkins: The restaurant at 1502 Cape Coral Parkway appears to have closed in early May. Its sign has been painted black and the location is no longer listed on the chain's website. The Perkins at 1551 Del Prado Blvd. remains open. Visit perkinsrestaurants.com for more. 

Ruby Tuesday: The locations at 2514 Santa Barbara Blvd. and 1851 NE Pine Island Road closed in late March along with about 100 other of the chain's restaurants, according to reports from readers and thelayoff.com. The area's only remaining Ruby Tuesday is at 9001 Park Royal Drive near HealthPark Medical Center in south Fort Myers. A location in Estero also closed in late March. Visit rubytuesday.com for more. 

Naples' closed restaurants

3 Pepper Burrito Co.: The Cape Coral-born fast-casual chain has closed its location at 1514 Immokalee Road No. 116, Naples. 3 Pepper has nine restaurants in operation from Estero to Sarasota. Visit 3pepperburrito.com.

Agave: The Mexican-inspired grill closed in early May at 2380 Vanderbilt Beach Road. It opened in September 2011. Agave temporarily closed when the state ordered dining rooms to shutter March 20. It reopened March 25 offering takeout. The building is set to become The Butcher in November, a high-end steakhouse from the owners of Sails Restaurant on Fifth Avenue South. 

More: Naples restaurant owners to open The Butcher in former Agave space

Citrus Seafood: The restaurant closed in late March at 455 Fifth Ave. S., Naples. Citrus had been a mainstay on the busy street for more than a decade. It specialized in locally caught Gulf seafood featured in its fish cakes, grouper tacos, ceviche, shrimp and grits, and more. Citrus's owners, Paula and Jay Powell, could not be immediately reached for comment. 

Naples Flatbread Kitchen & Bar: The final Naples location for this one-time local chain closed in late June at Mercato in North Naples. The lone remaining Naples Flatbread is at Miromar Outlets in Estero. Visit naplesflatbread.com for more. 

Pei Wei Asian Kitchen: The fast-casual chain closed its two Collier restaurants on Vanderbilt Beach Road and Collier Boulevard. The area's only remaining Pei Wei is at 16441 Corporate Commerce Way, across from Gulf Coast Town Center in San Carlos Park. More at peiwei.com. 

Rib City: The Fort Myers-born barbecue chain has closed its restaurant in East Naples after more than 20 years in operation at 3871 Tamiami Trail E. According to ribcity.com the restaurant still has more than a dozen locations open in Collier and Lee counties. 

Sweet Tomatoes: The buffet chain known for its endless soup and salad bar shuttered all of its 97 restaurants nationwide in early May, including locations in south Fort Myers and Naples. The Sweet Tomatoes in south Fort Myers opened in 1997. The North Naples location opened in spring 2010. 

More: Sweet Tomatoes buffet chain permanently closing 97 restaurants including Fort Myers, Naples

Zoes Kitchen: The fast-casual Mediterranean chain has closed its locations at 22941 Lyden Drive No. 110, Estero and 9108 Strada Place No. 14110 at Mercato in North Naples. The only remaining Zoes in Southwest Florida is in the Whole Foods plaza at 6881 Daniels Parkway No. 100, south Fort Myers. Visit zoeskitchen.com for more. 

Bonita Springs and Estero closed restaurants

Applebee's: The California-based chain's location on Corkscrew Road in Estero, west of Interstate 75, was closed as of late April. The restaurant did not respond to requests for comment. The Applebee's on Dani Drive in Fort Myers and in North Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples remain open. Find more at applebees.com. 

Hurricane Grill & Wings: The Coconut Point location of this national chain announced its closure Wednesday night via its Facebook page. "We closed today and wish all of you well," the statement read in part. "We sincerely hope that all of the good will and friendships made at our restaurant will be everlasting." Hurricane's website shows the Cape Coral and Naples locations as open; hurricanewings.com. 

Metro Diner: The restaurant at 3250 Bonita Beach Road SW has closed. The Jacksonville-based chain, which once had multiple Lee and Collier locations, now has just one remaining locally at 1625 Cape Coral Parkway E., Cape Coral. Visit metrodiner.com for more. 

Perkins: The location at 27940 Crown Lake Blvd. closed in early May. Located at the corner of U.S. 41 and Bonita Beach Road, the building has been a Perkins for more than two decades. Perkins has 31 locations remaining in Florida, according to its website, including stores in south Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero, Lehigh Acres, North Fort Myers and two in Naples. Visit perkinsrestaurants.com for more. 

More: New York Pizza & Pasta coming to old south Fort Myers Perkins

Ruby Tuesday: The location at 21301 Town Commons Drive, Estero, closed in late March along with about 100 other of the chain's restaurants, according to reports from thelayoff.com. The area's only remaining Ruby Tuesday is at 9001 Park Royal Drive near HealthPark Medical Center in south Fort Myers. Two locations in Cape Coral also closed in late March. Visit rubytuesday.com for more. 

Zoes Kitchen: The fast-casual Mediterranean chain has closed its locations at 22941 Lyden Drive No. 110, Estero and 9108 Strada Place No. 14110 at Mercato in Naples. The only remaining Zoes in Southwest Florida is in the Whole Foods plaza at 6881 Daniels Parkway No. 100, south Fort Myers. Visit zoeskitchen.com for more. 

East Lee and LaBelle closed restaurants

The Eatery & Drinkery: The Lehigh Acres restaurant, which opened in November 2019, announced its closure July 6 on Facebook. "We are sad to inform you we were not able to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and have closed our doors permanently," the post reads. "We want to thank everyone for their support. It was truly appreciated." 

Got questions about COVID-19 and its impact on Southwest Florida restaurants? Email atometich@news-press.com or connect with @abellewrites on Instagram