Photos Courtesy of: Bonita Bill’s

Bonita Bills of Fort Myers Beach announced earlier this week that is will be closing its doors after 30 years in business.

The restaurant has operated under the Matanza’s Pass bridge since opening in 1991. The waterfront bar and grill has always been a hotspot for casual food and drinks. Their motto “No Shirt? No Shoes? Can we get you a beer?” sets the tone for the restaurant’s laidback vibe.

Bonita Bill’s gained even more popularity at Hurricane Ian, which filled the restaurant with over 10 feet of water and planted a yacht on their dock. The boat quickly became a tourist attraction and a frequent photo spot.

Closing the restaurant was a tough decision to make, but a few unfortunate factors led to the end of the Bonita Bill’s era. Just four months after Hurricane Ian destroyed the restaurant, owner Bill Semmer passed away.  ‘The uphill battle of costly repairs and construction, rising operating, labor, and food costs, and a changing market” on top of Bill’s death forced the owners to put the property up for sale. The property is made up of 4 separate parcels and is under contract for $6.9 million. There is a rumor floating around the community that the buyers are the owners of Doc Ford’s next door, but it has not yet been confirmed.

Bonita Bill’s will remain open until January 5th. They posted on Facebook that they “will continue with regular operating hours; closed on Mondays. Tuesday-Friday 11am-9:30pm-ish (lunch/dinner only), and Saturday & Sunday from 8am to 9:30pm-ish. We will be open NYE (regular hours).” They are currently selling merchandise at the restaurant and are expected t launch an online store soon at https://www.bonitabills.com.

To stay up to date on the future of this property, plus other note-worthy news around SWFL, subscribe to our newsletter!