Beloved downtown Cape Coral restaurant, bar on brink of closing for good is back
It wasn't easy to keep up with. At first, Nevermind Awesome Bar & Eatery was closing for good on Dec. 30. There was even a goodbye bash. At the same time, a potential reopening in an unnamed new location was announced via social media. Then on Jan. 10, it was heading back to its original location.
Now, we’re happy to report, the beloved downtown Cape Coral restaurant and bar is back where it belongs.
“Nevermind was really going away,” new co-owner Michael Gavala said. “And it was not coming back after Dec. 30.”
When it originally opened in 2012, Nevermind was one of the coolest hangouts around with chef/restaurateur/owner Shannon Yates creating in the open kitchen and craft cocktail guru Brittany Bowman making magic behind the bar.
Even after Yates died in August 2021 after being hospitalized with COVID-19, it continued to be a favorite spot for locals and visitors alike.
According to Gavala, he and co-owners Wally Thomas and Dr. Brian Gear worked with Shannon’s trust — after it didn’t renew the lease — to take over the business on the corner of Cape Coral Parkway and SE 10th Place.
“We bought the name and everything in here,” he said. “There was an asset sale and we bought everything that wasn’t bolted down. We were going to move it across (Cape Coral Parkway) to (the former site of) Slates. We were going to rebuild Slates to look like Nevermind.”
After the sale, Gavala said he and his team hired a moving company to take everything out of the restaurant “including the light bulbs” on Dec. 31.
“Nevermind was in boxes all over town,” he said. “We took everything, all the memorabilia. We put it all somewhere.”
Nevermind stays in South Cape location
Then something unexpected happened.
“On Jan. 1, we were told we could re-sign the lease and keep Nevermind right where it is,” Gavala said. “We signed on Jan. 2. We truly believe there was divine intervention by Shannon or whoever. Someone or something wanted it to stay where it was with the right people in it.”
Then the rebuilding started after a solid month of cleaning the restaurant from top to bottom.
“When I walked in on Jan. 2, I said we weren’t changing a thing,” said Gavala, who owns G3 Catering and previously owned Sasse’s Restaurant in Fort Myers. “Everything with Shannon on it we left. We worked around it all. Everything else is new — the TVs, sound system, taps behind the bars. The kitchen is brand new. The floor is sealed. But the ambiance and culture are the same.”
Fan-favorite menu items are back
From volcano rolls and pressed burgers to prime rib and other daily specials, the menu is mostly the same as well.
“We did add a few things,” Gavala said, pointing out Sasse's-inspired salads and best-selling cast iron pork dish. “We took off things we knew didn’t sell and didn’t work, but kept all the fan favorites. (The menu) is 75% old and 25 new.”
The staff is 80% the same too, led by general manager Kimberly Lally.
Gavala said the kitchen staff features three original chefs, “Hugo, Winston and Cuba,” who worked with Shannon when he first started Nevermind.
“Everyone has raised their game,” he said. “They’ve seen the work and money we’ve put into this and it’s brought everything to a new level.”
When it first opened, Nevermind helped change the landscape of the South Cape dining scene for good.
Gavala understands that and what it means to the community.
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“We are going to live in the shadow of Shannon for a while,” he said. “Eventually it may be our three names associated with it but not now. Shannon’s all over this place and we’re not changing that.
“We did this for the love of Nevermind, the employees, customers and Shannon. This is such a fixture and it's here to stay. We have 15 years on our lease."
Nevermind Awesome Bar & Eatery, 927 Cape Coral Parkway E., Cape Coral; opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday, dinner begins at 5 p.m.; The Hop opens at 5 p.m. and is closed Sunday and Monday; follow on Facebook
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Nevermind Awesome Bar & Eatery reopens in downtown Cape Coral
