Popular south Fort Myers restaurant to unexpectedly close: What we know
Stillwater Grille, beloved for its Midwest hospitality, will be closing its south Fort Myers location for good on Saturday, May 13.
Jeff and Julie Meyer have owned the restaurant on the north corner of Cypress Lake Drive and McGregor Boulevard since 2013.
“We are heartbroken,” Julie said. “For us and for the employees being displaced. They are family to us.”
The Meyers told the staff Sunday before announcing the closing on social media that evening.
“They are devastated,” said the Meyers’ son Jason, who has been working at Stillwater for 7½ years. “People come here to see Julie and Jeff. They come to see the bartenders. They come to see us.”
Where to celebrate: Favorite Mexican restaurants in Cape Coral, Fort Myers for Cinco de Mayo - JLB
Restaurant news: New Cape Coral restaurant from well-know local chef opens downtown
The Meyers had the business for sale because they said, “We wanted to move on to the next chapter” of their lives.
“We wanted to move to the other side of the bar and sit with all the friends we have made,” Julie said. “We are tired. But we wanted to keep the legacy we have built here going on.”
Trying to keep Stillwater
According to Julie, they found someone who would take over and keep Stillwater going, someone who “is as passionate as we are.”
“He could take it to the next level as Stillwater,” she said.
After more than two months of going back and forth, Julie said the property manager and landlord “made it so unreasonable for the transaction to move forward."
“And we lost everything that we have built,” she said.
Another location in the future?
But there is hope for the Meyers, their loyal customers and for Stillwater.
“Are we going to bow down and let Stillwater go peacefully?” Julie asked. “No. We are trying to find another location.”
“We will keep looking until we exhaust all our options,” added Jason.
Ideally, they would like to find a place in Fort Myers, but if they found an ideal spot somewhere else, they would go there.
Lee inspections: This Fort Myers restaurant received 20 violations, the most in April
“We already have people driving 45 minutes to get to us now,” said Jason.
“If it’s a good fit for the business and for us and has more parking, we will do it,” added Julie.
Business as usual until May 13
In the meantime, Stillwater will be open in Cypress Square — the same area as The Prawnbroker, Blanc and Blu Sushi — seven days a week through May 13. Theirs is the only business having to vacate in that area, Julie said.
The Meyers are taking it day by day.
“We are going to have our Kentucky Derby party on the 6th for one last blast,” said Jason. “We will have one last trivia next Monday. Then keep an eye on us through social media. If we can find a different place, we will announce it there.”
From Midwest to Southwest
The Meyers bought Stillwater Grille from the original owner eight months after it first opened. They kept the restaurant’s original name because Stillwater is a city in their home state, even though the couple is not from that particular Minnesota city.
“We wanted to keep the connection,” Julie said.
The couple worked hard to build it into the popular restaurant it has become. Customers come to sit at the spacious bar with 48 beer taps and happy hour every day until 7 p.m., enjoy the quiet of the distinctive dining room and dine outside on the favored tree-covered patio.
“There are such different crowds dining in each area,” said Jason.
They come for the traditional American menu with prime rib, burgers, sandwiches, salads and fresh seafood.
Goodbye for now
And they come for Jeff and Julie.
“Coming down from Minnesota, we didn’t know anyone when we got here,” Julie said. “But over 10 years, we’ve met so many people.
“The next couple of weeks we want to get as many of our friends coming in as we can. Then we are going to dust ourselves off and start a new race. And we will see what happens.”
Stillwater Grille, 13451 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers, is open daily for lunch and dinner through May 13. They will open at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday; and at 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Log on to stillwatergrille.com, call (239) 791-8554 or follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
Robyn George is a community content editor and food writer for The Fort Myers News-Press. Send scoops and news to rhgeorge@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 'We are heartbroken': Stillwater Grille in south Fort Myers is closing
