Hurricane Ian: Latest on whether iconic Fort Myers doughnut maker closed for good

Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read

Doughnuts are expected to return to a popular Fort Myers coffee shop in 2023.

Hurricane Ian damaged Bennett's Fresh Roast when it roared ashore in Lee County on Sept. 28, leaving 6 inches of water in the business.

Bennett's has remained closed since, with some repairs made but more needed, said Bob Grissinger, who founded the business 14 years ago and owns the 79-year-old building.

They had to replace all the flooring and two ground-level air conditioning systems at the low-lying building and are awaiting an insurance check to finish repairs, he said.

Grissinger pointed out that Bennett's, 2011 Bayside Parkway, is a block from the Caloosahatchee River.

"It's not nearly the kind of the misery people on the coastal areas got," Grissinger said.

"In light of the fact we had $100,000 worth of damage, we certainly had better luck than some people who lost their entire businesses that were washed out to sea.”

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Bob Grissinger, one of the owners of Bennett’s Fresh Roast in downtown Fort Myers, holds up a tray of maple-bacon doughnuts. Damage from Hurricane Ian shuttered the restaurant as owners make repairs. Grissinger said to expect reopening in 2023.
Bob Grissinger, one of the owners of Bennett’s Fresh Roast in downtown Fort Myers, holds up a tray of maple-bacon doughnuts. Damage from Hurricane Ian shuttered the restaurant as owners make repairs. Grissinger said to expect reopening in 2023.

He said he expects the flood insurance settlement to arrive soon and, once it does, it will take up to six weeks to make the necessary repairs. Work crews already have ripped up the floor, which was ruined.

“You’re at the mercy of the insurance companies," he added.

Grissinger began the business in 2008 after hosting a WINK radio show using the name C. David Bennett. The coffee and doughnut shop became a local favorite and his notoriety for creating tasty doughnuts extended beyond Southwest Florida.

Celebrity chef Alton Brown and the producers of Food Network's "Donut Showdown" in 2013 featured Bennett's.

“I took six months developing that recipe and I made a lot of friends fat every weekend developing that recipe," Grissinger said.

He sold the business in January 2021 to Ian Black, a Bennett's doughnut maker for about eight years when he bought it.

“He’s a tenant and as the landlord I’ve got to get the tenant back in business," Grissinger said. "He doesn't want to do nothing else than make doughnuts again."

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter and on Twitter @NDN_dosborn.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian damaged this iconic Fort Myers doughnut shop: The latest