MATLACHA, Fla. — Businesses are bouncing back after Hurricane Ian, and Blue Dog Bar & Grill in Matlacha hopes to reopen by the first week of January.
They’re still up and standing, which is something some businesses cannot say. Others have had to make a hard choice: close up shop or rebuild.
“It’s devastation I’ve never known,” said Merri Shallow, Blue Dog’s assistant kitchen manager. “The building was recognizable.”
A building made of concrete, though the inside was a different story.
“All of our equipment from four feet down was destroyed,” Shallow said. “That’s above my waist.”
Shallow was holding back tears of joy, but also tears of sorrow for what southwest Florida has been through.
“The hardest part is finding the motivation in devastation,” she said. “It means everything from the bottom of my heart to me.”
The motivation comes from the community they’re ready to serve again.
“It’s days away, it’s a big deal,” Shallow said. “It’s nothing but happy tears, man.”
Tears put into putting the restaurant back together. They had to scrub the floors and equipment still salvageable. They had to replace a good amount of equipment such as coolers and tables.
“We’re ready to just open 40 pounds of crabs,” Shallow said.
One big hurdle is finding employees. Shallow says during season, they typically have about 80 on staff. Before Ian, they had 50 and 47 are coming back. Because of how busy they’re expecting to be, they’re looking to hire.
“We’re still looking to hire 15-20 plus more,” Shallow said. “I have positions to fill.”
They’re looking for servers, bartenders and kitchen staff.
While the restaurant will have new smiling faces and equipment, they’re also getting a slight new look.
“In the dining room you can see we painted theater line,” Shallow said.
A water line now covered by waves painted on it, which tells a story. It’s a story of devastation and resiliency.
“This place is going to have so much energy when we reopen,” Shallow said. “Blue Dog is back.”
A date for the first week of January is not concrete quite yet. They still need to order the fresh, local food and train the new staff. However, Shallow says they’re going to push to be open by next week.
