Fishville, the next generation
Chris Evans is set to open his fourth restaurant, The Pier, at Fishermen’s Village in Punta Gorda
Among those quirky Florida landmarks that seem frozen in time, Fishermen’s Village was cutting edge at the dawn of the 1980s in Punta Gorda, a mixed-use outdoor mall with boutique shops, restaurants and fishing charters, along with time-share residences and a public marina. The city and developer F.M. “Don” Donelson built it on the site where old fish packing houses were operated in the 1930s.
Its vintage character remains today, even as it undergoes a major renovation by Arizona-based developer Jon Larmore of ArciTerra, parent company of ATA Fishville, which announced $40 million in improvements starting in 2015.
Shaded open-air walkways where shoppers wander like driftwood to jangly tunes spilling out of overhead speakers are lined with boutique shops, eateries and a unique military museum. Stairs lead to condos and offices on the second floor. It still feels like an old-time Florida dream. But with its new developers and now the late Mr. Donelson’s grandson, Chris Evans, opening a new waterfront eatery at the end of November, it is also taking a step into the new millennium.
Chris Evans, right, at Fishermen’s Village.
That makes sense since Mr. Evans himself at age 38 could be considered an elder Millennial or among the youngest Gen-Xers, whichever you prefer.
“At the time (my grandfather opened it) this was a state-of-the-art project, but it also struggled,” Mr. Evans said. “I think it would be safe to say that this property was about 15 years before its time. And there were many, many months and years if not decades that the mall was deteriorating and sat in more of a dilapidated state.
“The new owners bought the physical property from the city. So now that they have that investment they’re modernizing it. They’ve renovated and remodeled all the upstairs time shares. Their vision for the property is one that continues to enhance it and that is proven by the traffic flow. Their vision includes a nice promenade…
“We’ve managed to have a very good working relationship with the new owner. We were on the same page with a lot of these concepts.”
Evans with his grandfather, F.M. “Don” Donelson, developer of Fishermen’s Village.
Mr. Evans grew up largely in Punta Gorda and partly in North Carolina, where he spent fifth through eighth grade. He moved back and graduated from Charlotte High School, where he recalls being an average student but excelling at soccer. After high school he had the chance to make $40,000 per year working as an office manager at a small manufacturing company in Minnesota, quite the opportunity for a 19-year-old.
Soon, he was missing Southwest Florida’s balmy winters.
“About halfway through the second winter, about 22 below zero, I called my dad (Ron Evans) at the time and said, ‘I’m ready to come home. It’s too cold up here.’ So I came home and started working for him.”
He began bussing tables at Harpoon Harry’s, one of the restaurants at Fishville that is still run by his father. He did a little of everything, be it working in the kitchen or replumbing the pipes, until becoming the chief operations officer of the family restaurant business. After 13 years, he left it to start his own group of restaurants, and began looking for a space.
“I flew to St. Martin for a week to look at a restaurant,” he recalls. “And then I came back home and I drove past The Turtle Club. It had sat empty for seven years. And I called Peter Tierney down in Naples and just said, ‘Hey, this is Chris Evans. We’ve met before. I don’t know if you remember me but my situation’s changed and I want to see what you’re doing with your property. And we ended up buying it from him.”
The Turtle Club reopened in 2013. A few years later, Mr. Evans opened a second restaurant in Schenectady, N.Y., called The Glass Tavern, where his business partner owns a mixed-use property. He gets up there about once a month via Punta Gorda Airport. Then he opened F.M. Don’s, named for his grandfather, in downtown Punta Gorda.
Mr. Evans and his business partner also launched SoEva Hospitality Group. They have their sights set on several projects beyond the pier over the coming years, including a potential multifamily mixed-use property as well as additional restaurants.
The daily operations of his three restaurants are run by in-house managers and chefs, while Mr. Evans keeps track of their administrative and financial sides.
His latest project, The Pier, is slated to open this fall with executive chef Todd Stolpe at the helm. Mr. Stolpe is a Charlotte County resident and graduate of the culinary school at WCI in West Palm Beach. His background includes being on the culinary team for private dinners for former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, according to a bio on the Pier website.
Like Mr. Evans’s grandfather’s initial conception of Fishville and in step with its new property owners, The Pier is envisioned as forward thinking, at least for a shopping center that has one foot firmly planted in tradition, in its modern flavors and warm, upscale-casual service.
“Our angle is more of a Hawaiian flair-Pacific rim,” Mr. Evans said. “We’ve got the tuna poke bowls, the rice bowls and just a very unique menu, everything from the plate presentation to the taste. And many times when you come to eat on the water, you’re kind of treated like cattle, they kind of herd you in, herd you out. So we’re super excited to bring gracious hospitality, which is a cornerstone of our company.”
Finding skilled staff to deliver that food and service, at any of his eateries, is one of his biggest challenges.
“And that’s not anything uncommon for this area,” he said. “I mean you look at plumbing companies, look at electricians, look at landscaping companies, look at pool companies, the labor pool in the market is terrible.
“So what we try to do is focus in on good operations, great quality fresh products, to create a work environment that people are proud to be a part of, and if we can do that, we believe we can retain workforce.”
His experience and knowledge gleaned from years in the restaurant industry is a benefit, and he recommends that anyone considering opening their own gathers broad knowledge of every side of the business.
“I would tell them to work in the business, work every position in the business, and then also learn the business side of the business. Because there’s a difference between being a great cook, or a great server or a great bartender and starting your own place. You have to understand the finances, the debt service, the rent structures, the occupancy costs, food costs, liquor costs, labor costs. All those intricate details are really what makes an operation successful or not.”
Mr. Evans is often kept busy from predawn to past sunset with work, which is not uncommon. Any restaurateur will tell you the business requires long hours and dedication to be successful, though these days he also finds time for his growing family. He lives with his wife, Ashley, and has four children, three daughters ranging in age from 2 to 14, and a 9-month-old son.
“I love being a dad,” he said.
Source: https://fortmyers.floridaweekly.com/articles/fishville-the-next-generation/