As one fast-casual restaurant chain falls, another one rises in Lee County.
Boston Market has pulled out of the market following more than 20 years at 12196 South Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers, just south of College Parkway and just north of Mission BBQ.
In more encouraging news, BurgerFihas filled the vacancy of the short-lived BurgerIM, which closed a few months ago after fewer than six weeks of existence at Daniels Marketplace, the shopping center anchored by Whole Foods Market at 6881 Daniels Parkway.
More on BurgerFi, which opened Friday and serves never-frozen beef and antibiotic-free chicken on fresh bread and milkshakes in a minute.
More:BurgerFi opens in Fort Myers, offers free burgers, shakes for a year
Plus:Restaurant inspections: Fort Myers restaurant accrues 35 violations
The Boston Market employees, who declined to comment, were informed just last week that Sunday would be the last day of operations. A plaque near the front door commemorated the building in 1996.
Adam Palladino, director of operations for Mission BBQ’s Fort Myers location just next door, reached out to Boston Market employees and encouraged them to apply. At least two of them did. One of them had been working there for 10 years.
“The biggest thing for us is just opening it up for them,” Palladino said. “They’re a group of great people.”
The land on which the Boston Market sat has been owned by BJA Properties II LLC since February 2009, when it sold for $812,000 during the Great Recession.
About 68,000 vehicles per day drive by the location daily.
Real estate broker Brandon Kinsey of Kinsey and Associates is representing the owner, who declined to comment, in finding a new tenant. The land is not for sale but up for lease.
“They essentially made the decision to shut down that location,” Kinsey said of Boston Market. “It wasn’t necessarily they were at the end of the lease, but they decided to leave the market. They’re moving on.
“The property owner intends on keeping the property in terms of ownership. We’re looking for a new, strong, long-term tenant to fill that. We’ve got some interest on it. That’s a great site. It’s a very high-trafficked area. We’re looking to get the best possible tenant.”
Boston Market, which once had more than 1,100 locations, has shrunk to fewer than 500 and so far has declined to comment.
Because the property already has zoning for a drive-through restaurant, Kinsey anticipated the next tenant to be fast or fast-casual food. He also guessed the current building would be demolished to make way for new construction.
“Another quick service restaurant could perhaps find a way to continue to use that structure,” he said. “But I would imagine most tenants would want to start over with their own concept. If I’m a betting man, I’d say over 50%. Scrape and rebuild.”
BurgerFiopenedFriday at Daniels Marketplace. It’s the second Lee County location, as there’s one off Alico Road in south Fort Myers near Gulf Coast Town Center.
The franchise began in 2011 in Fort Lauderdale Beach at an abandoned Burger King, where naysayers said the concept would fail.
They were wrong.
“For restaurant chains, it’s very slim chances that they make it to that 150-unit mark,” said Charlie Guzzetta, franchise development manager for BurgerFi, which has more than 100 locations and is hoping to reach 128 by the end of the year with goals to reach that coveted 150 mark in 2021.
The chain is focusing on natural, sustainable food and the environmental-friendly concept includes the interior decorating: compressed pallets for a wooden table, recycled co*ke bottles for seats and No. 2 southern pine lumber, the most renewable wood source on the planet, for the wooden panels on the walls.
The giant ceiling fan does the work of nine smaller fans with the electrical output of three, Guzzetta said.
John Sanderson will be managing the Daniels Parkway location. He has 22 employees so far and is looking for more.
“I’m excited to get this up and running,” Sanderson said.
BABco*ck NATIONAL OPENS: A new, 18-hole golf course at Babco*ck Ranch that will be semi-private but is now open to the public as the projected 1,100-home community takes shape, is open.
The ribbon cutting took place Thursday, with Babco*ck Ranch founder Syd Kitson on hand for the finish of the first of three planned golf courses in a community designed to reach 50,000 residents, merging housing with nature and in this case golf, which doesn’t always vibe with nature because of fertilizer and phosphorous runoff.
“They are very thoughtful about how they use the fertilizers,” Kitson said of the surrounding, lush green landscape amid homes and the clubhouse under construction. “There are a bunch of filter marshes. Everything will be cleaned. All of this was disturbed land before we began building on it. It was all agricultural land. What’s great about this is 90%of Babco*ck Ranch was redeveloped from disturbed land.
“We have a phenomenal trail system. It will look like Florida used to look with pine flatwoods and just beautiful habitats.”
Kitson bought 91,000 acres then gave 73,000 back to the state of Florida for conservation. Of the 18,000 remaining acres, 9,000 will be built into houses and amenities, while 9,000 will be preserved by Babco*ck Ranch, Kitson said.
“It’s emotional,” he said of the golf course being ready. “When you see this and Founders Square and the homes and the parks we have and the trails we have, it celebrates the outdoors and well being of the environment. To see this come to life, it’s part of the vision.”
Darin McMurray, regional vice president of Lennar Homes, said about 20 homes in the surrounding community have been selling per month. With the opening of the golf course, he hoped for more sales in what will be the only gated community within Babco*ck Ranch.
“We’ve had tremendous traffic,” McMurray said. “We’ve had a lot of interest in seeing the new golf course. We’re exited about the future as we build the amenities and provide some of the best country club living in Southwest Florida.
“When I first met Syd Kitson15 years ago, he promised us an opportunity as a homebuilder. He stuck to his word. We’re just very excited to be part of a great community, one that will get better and better every day. Syd went out there and stuck to his vision. He built some of the town first and then the houses later. That’s the confidence he has in the future.”
More In the Know:
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- Grandview to fill 11-story, $50M luxury void on Fort Myers Beach
- Real estate broker covets Costco for Veterans Plaza Phase III in Cape Coral
MARKET WATCH 2020: The annual real estate event is fast approaching. If you follow commercial and residential real estate trends in Southwest Florida, you won’t want to miss this event. Networking begins at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Hertz Arena, with a 90-minute presentation beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $50 and can be purchased at MarketWatchSWFL.com.
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