Fort Myers, Cape Coral-based FK Your Diet hits the road to serve the SWFL community

Randy Kambic
·3 min read
Melissa Muńiz and her husband Victor Serrano pose for a photo at FK Your Diet's Cape Coral location. The restaurants have been helping the community by serving free hot meals and giving out supplies donated by staff and customers.
Melissa Muńiz and her husband Victor Serrano pose for a photo at FK Your Diet's Cape Coral location. The restaurants have been helping the community by serving free hot meals and giving out supplies donated by staff and customers.

Helping the community is nothing new for FK Your Diet restaurants, with locations in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and elsewhere. So when Hurricane Ian came through Southwest Florida, hitting the road to serve the public came naturally.

More: Hurricane Ian: A Cape Coral restaurant with big steaks and a bigger heart

“Many people lost everything,” said Doug Miller, founder and head cook. “Many people can’t come to us, to the mountain, so we’ve been bringing the mountain to them.”

Tapping into staff at the Cape Coral and Fort Myers locations, Miller estimates that through two weeks after the hurricane, they have provided about 70,000 hot meals plus snacks to the community - some delivered in seven vehicles in boxes to mobile home parks and other areas in need, and some given away at the 19630 South Tamiami Trail, Fort Myers, and the 1402 Del Prado Blvd. South, Cape Coral, locations.  And they have continued giving away food since then.

Mariah Mitchell helps prepare some of the free meals at FK Your Diet in Cape Coral.
Mariah Mitchell helps prepare some of the free meals at FK Your Diet in Cape Coral.

The Fort Myers store was revived sooner with a generator and the Cape Coral location, which first opened in 2020, started up again about 10 days after the storm.

“We’re best known for our sausage gravy, breakfast burritos and French toast, so we’ve been focusing on what we know best to get as much good food out to people as possible,” Miller added.

More: Cape Coral Caring Center open; offering food, assistance, and other essentials

FK Your Diet's customers and other restaurants have also stepped up. They have given out water, Gatorade, diapers, cleaning supplies, non-perishable food and items donated by the public and staff. After the power went out, FK Your Diet worked with Bonefish Grill, Zaxby’s and First Watch locations in Fort Myers and Cape Coral to get plenty of shrimp and chicken sandwiches and grits, respectively, from all of them to also distribute.

“Lots of our customers volunteered to help. All of the restaurants gave us so much, including thousands of pounds of shrimp and eggs from Bonefish Grill,” added Miller, who also recently hired a Cape father, who cares for foster children and who was devastated by Ian.

“We’re hoping to reopen with our regular menu soon but expect to continue work on our charitable side,” he added.

Chris Marquis prepares a batch of burrito filling to use in FK Your Diet's free meals for customers in need.
Chris Marquis prepares a batch of burrito filling to use in FK Your Diet's free meals for customers in need.

Miller, who grew up in the foster system, launched the original restaurant in Fort Myers three years ago to help children like him in the area. FK sounds salacious but it stands for foster kids.

All FK Your Diet restaurants conduct programs to assist foster children affiliated with several agencies including a Thanksgiving Feast and accept donations from the public for their needs on an ongoing basis. They also served many free meals during the height of the pandemic.

The company also has locations in Orlando and Sunrise and hopes to open another one in Punta Gorda soon. It also operates a food truck.

“We couldn’t have done what we’re doing now without the help of our staff and customers,” Miller added.

Ariana Hernandez, left, and Jordyn Post receive a meal package from Melissa Muniz at FK Your Diet in Cape Coral.
Ariana Hernandez, left, and Jordyn Post receive a meal package from Melissa Muniz at FK Your Diet in Cape Coral.

If you go

FK Your Diet Cape Coral, 1402 Del Prado Boulevard South, (239) 350-8955

FK Your Diet Fort Myers, 19630 S Tamiami Trail, San Carlos Park (239) 245-8877

Online: fkyourdiet.com

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: After the hurricane hit, FK Your Diet went into high gear to help others