Photo by TIM ATEN
In late August, Gatsby’s Pizza closed in North Naples in order to merge with Island House Café, opening in its larger venue at 3801 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs.
Photo by TIM ATEN
Gatsby’s Pizza of North Naples temporarily relocated this fall to Island House Café, 3801 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs. Gatsby's soon closed, but the Island House remains open. Gatsby's plans to reopen elsewhere on Bonita Beach Road in 2012.
Photo by TIM ATEN
Gatsby’s Pizza hopes to open soon in a corner suite of Liberty Bank Plaza, 4450 Bonita Beach Road, near the crossing of Imperial Shores Boulevard/West Avenue, in Bonita Springs.
Q: After returning to Naples, we just learned our favorite pizza place, Gatsby's on U.S. 41 North at Wiggins Pass and Route 41, has closed. They had an excellent thin-crust pizza and was a good place to hang out with Ohio State people. Can you help us find out if they are closed for good or moved to another location? They always had a good crowd during season, so tend to doubt it was a business issue.
Thanks for your assistance.
— Barney Cook, North Naples
A: Not only did Gatsby's Pizza attract good crowds during its eight years in North Naples, but a lot of its loyal patrons are wondering why it closed — again — and where it will reopen — again.
"It's heartwarming that everybody wants to know where we will start up again," said Jackie Chapin, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Greg. "We're still here and we are going to start things soon, hopefully before season is over."
The Chapins vow to overcome extreme obstacles and resurrect Gatsby's a little farther west in Bonita Springs. They hope to open soon in a corner suite of the L-shaped Liberty Bank Plaza, 4450 Bonita Beach Road, near the crossing of Imperial Shores Boulevard/West Avenue.
In case you missed column updates on Gatsby's in September and October, Gatsby's closed its North Naples' Wiggins Pass location in late August in order to merge with Island House Café, 3801 Bonita Beach Road, in its larger venue about four miles away in Bonita Springs. Two months later, Gatsby's was homeless.
After a management disagreement between the Chapins and longtime Island House owner Gary Chansler, their partnership was over. The Chapins walked away last month, ending the new business relationship.
However, Chansler is not permitting the Chapins to retrieve their pizza oven and other Gatsby's items from the Island House, because he said he is owed money from their brief partnership. The Chapins dispute this and filed a civil complaint Nov. 3 in Lee County in an effort to get their property returned.
"At this point, Gary is holding our equipment hostage, so we will have to invest in the new location since he has all of our equipment," Greg Chapin wrote in a letter faxed Monday. "We miss all of our dear customers and look forward to seeing your smiling faces."
The Chapins still have a lot of work to do to open this season at Gatsby's future location, planned less than a mile west of the Island House on the other side of Bonita Beach Road. They said they intend to keep everyone updated on their progress on Gatsby's Facebook page.
Eric Pate’s Backstreet Bar & Grill, 849 Seventh Ave S., closed in early July after operating for about a year and a half in that downtown Naples location. In December, Flava Restaurant, Bar & Lounge opened there and Eric Pate became the general manager of Stoney's Steakhouse in Bayfront.
Eric Pate's Backstreet Bar & Grill
Q: Whatever happened to Eric Pate's Backstreet Grill?
— Lou Kovacs, Naples
A: When I spoke with Eric Pate in July, he held out hope that he could reopen Eric Pate's Backstreet Bar & Grill in October in the same "backstreet" location in downtown Naples. But that is not going to happen.
"I'm not going to be reopening at that location. I'm looking at other locations," Pate said.
Pate plans an entirely new restaurant venture, although he would not reveal details about it when we chatted last week.
"I'm working on a new concept altogether," he said.
Pate closed his Backstreet Grill in early July after operating for about a year and a half at 849 Seventh Ave S., formerly home to Gina's on Seventh Avenue and Nektar restaurants.
Flava flash
That Naples location soon will host another eatery: Flava Restaurant, Bar & Lounge. Flava, pronounced like the word lava, is targeted to open Dec. 27, said manager Veronika Bustamante.
Flava will serve European cuisine prepared by a well-known local chef, Bustamante said, although she said she could not be more specific until the restaurant's opening date is nearer.
The new venue is owned by Petr Pipek, who also owns Sportalm Fashion, a European-designed women's and men's clothing store in Mercato in North Naples.
MORE LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS
Photo by TIM ATEN
Naples Caribbean Market & Take-Out Restaurant opened Nov. 8 in Pebblebrooke Center, near the corner of Collier Boulevard and Immokalee Road, in North Naples.
■ Naples Caribbean Market & Take-Out Restaurant opened Nov. 8 between Toast and Stevie Tomato's Sports Page in Pebblebrooke Center, near Collier Boulevard and Immokalee Road in North Naples. The small market sells Caribbean grocery items such as spices, breads, crackers, juices and other products for Jamaican, Haitian and Latin cuisines, as well as other island specialties, said owner/operator Gaymarie Thomas.
Lunch specials include curry chicken, jerk chicken, brown stew chicken, jerk pork, Jamaican-style hot wings with fries or soup of the day with salad. Dinner specials also include oxtail, curry goat, curry shrimp, curried chicken, fried chicken and fish. Breakfast, available only on Saturday and Sunday, includes ackee and saltfish, calaloo, liver, mackerel and porridge, each served with a choice of a fried dumpling, boiled green banana or hard-dough bread. The restaurant also serves subs and vegetarian items.
Hours for the market and restaurant are 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.
Photo by TIM ATEN
Mother Cluckerz Chicken Kitchen (& Other Eclectic Edibles) opened and closed this year in the former home of Cilantro Tamales, 10823 U.S. 41 N., just south of Immokalee Road.
■ Mother Cluckerz A Chicken Kitchen (and Other Eclectic Edibles) closed last week after operating for less than 10 weeks. The local eatery earns recognition for operating the shortest length of time this year, and for the longest (and most unusual and catchiest) name. Mother Cluckerz had its grand opening July 29, closed at the end of August for remodeling, reopened Oct. 7, and closed permanently Nov. 14.
The Naples Park location, 10823 U.S. 41 N., was the former home of Cilantro Tamales.
I did not have the opportunity to talk to Mother Cluckerz's owners, Jerri Stotts and Kevin Osella, to find out what happened or whether they plan to reopen their funky restaurant elsewhere in the area.
Happy Thanksgiving! Next week, we'll revisit the disappearance of weather radar on Comcast Channel 25.
___
Have a local question? Email it with your name and city of residence to intheknow@naplesnews.com.
Find a complete archive of "In the Know" columns at naplesnews.com/intheknow.
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Comments » 16
BackcountryBill writes:
tmi.
Stella_Blue (Inactive) writes:
Living in Bonita, we are always looking for another good "Mom and Pop" type place.
The Island House where Gatsbys moved was tried more than once. Each time, we left thinking it was mediocre at best, and that the ownership was nothing but pompous jerks.
After reading about Gary Chansler, our beliefs are now proven. We will make sure to tell ALL our friends to avoid the place with it's Sams Club food.
And no, I do not know the folks from Gatsbys.
itmattershere writes:
Gatsby's should stay closed, their pizza was not good.
randy123 writes:
Gatsby's-go back to Ohio. We dont need you here, and stop plugging our courts with nonsense.
HAP writes:
Sadly, this column has turned in to a restaurant review. This one is just repeating old ones. This is not news. We've had friends email non food questions, and they are never answered. This is also free advertising for all these places. Why?
LandofPalms writes:
Gatsby's Pizza is the Best Pizza in town Hands Down. Since they have closed I have tried 6 different pizza restaurants and none of them come close. Can't wait for them to get back in business. Hope the scoundrel who is holding their equipment realizes they will prevail in the courts, and all those daily sales will add up to $ in the bank for Gatsby's.
sugaray writes:
How many restaurants have the pate's opened and closed in the last 20 years? do they never tire of losing money?
lemonjello writes:
Then do not eat there....
cozyboy writes:
Looking forward to next weeks dicussion on Comcast ch 25 Radar. That's always good for about 100 comments. Enough with the pizza joints and Pates.
Carrot_Stick writes:
Happy to hear about the Caribbean Market opening. The store that use to be in golden gate had incredibly delicious chicken curry.... I hope this place is just as good.
Gatsby....take your Ohio State fans and go back north. Some of us locals are sick of the damage your type has done to this area.
Be warned!! I saw a few Ohio tags today.....probably best to stay off the roads (and sidewalks) for the next few months.
Livesinparadise writes:
Jerri owned Cilantro Tamales. Made some changes in order to try and survive the brutal restaurant market in Naples and unfortunately it didn't work out for her.
volochine writes:
I gotta go with LandofPalms. Gatsby's pizza was the best I have found down here. But it's all an argument about regions. When I saw Trump and Palin eating a slice of New York pizza earlier this year, I knew that crap could never come out of a Mid-Western pizzaria.
A pizza is NOT a pizza until it has at least 5 toppings.
While Gatsby's had an Ohio State flair, this Northwestern fan could care less, Gary made some great pizza. Even my Michigan-grad father loved it.
I wish everyone affiliated with Gatsbys well.
FreshFace writes:
I agree and what's funny is that the CLOSED restaurants usually get more publicity than the existing restaurants. How about just making a "Restaurant Opening" column and leave for other Naples news?
FreshFace writes:
North side Chicago pizza is by far the best. Joey's Way pizza with extra cheese and sauce is the closest you'll come to Chicago in Naples and Marco Island. Aurelio's is BS...their thin crust is edible, but what they called a "stuffed" pizza is DISGUSTING. Honestly, we wanted to throw it back in their faces. Never went back after that horrid experience.
jt1120 writes:
"Pizza isn't pizza unless it has at least five toppings?" Say that in Italy, especially in Naples and Sorrento where pizza was invented, and they'll laugh you out of the country. It's all about the sauce and not about the toppings. If you can't get the sauce right, forget it. As for Gatsby's? Two words: GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!
Jarvis writes:
Why not? I would rather read about local restaurants and businesses than some moronic question from some senile old coot wondering if broccoli has anti-oxidants.
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