It’s been two years since Hurricane Ian washed away Bert’s Bar & Grill, leaving behind a network of colorful pilings.
And every day since, Jay Johnson, the owner of Bubba’s Roadhouse & Saloon in Cape Coral, has been asked about it.
“People always ask about it daily,” said Johnson, whose father Bernard purchased the beloved Matlacha bar in 2000. “We see a lot of Bert’s customers (in Bubba’s). They all want to know when it will be back.”
And his answer is always the same.
“We’re working on it,” he said. “We’re still looking at what we have to do. There are a lot of hoops to jump through. Regulatory agencies are working with us, but a lot of things have to happen.”
But, oh, would it be worth it.
The decades-old waterfront gem on the mainland side of Matlacha Pass Bridge has a history as colorful as its trademark pilings. It began as a one-building candy store along Pine Island Road in the 1930s. A second building acted as an eight-room hotel in 1941.
It was frequented by soldiers stationed at Page Field during World War II who would head to the island on weekends to fish off Matlacha Pass’ “fishingest bridge in the world.”
It also earned a reputation as a place of ill repute.
The bar was called Mother’s after the war, then the Tri Dilly Inn in the 1970s and Harry’s Barge Inn after that.
When well-known Lee County bar owner Bert Clubb purchased it in the mid 1980s , he renamed it Bert’s and focused on the bar. He later sold it to a longtime employee. Years later, Clubb died in 2002 at the age of 86, one month after being burned in a gas explosion while trying to light a pizza oven in his bar on Hancock Bridge Parkway in Cape Coral.
Bernard Johnson bought Bert’s from the longtime employee 24 years ago.
“He really wants it to be open again,” Jay said. “He’s working on getting it back. When he’s in town, he works almost exclusively on it. We can’t really do anything until they’re done with the road and that’s very close.”
Under Bernard, Bert’s became a favorite stop for locals and visitors because of its low-key island vibe, quality food, live music and ice-cold beer.
“The grouper sandwich was a favorite,” said Jay, adding that they bought a lot of Bert’s and Bubba’s food together. “The fish we use is the same they did. It’s just a different batter. The burgers are pretty much the same.”
The freshest of fresh seafood was served in starters, baskets, sandwiches, soups and entrees.
For years, customers would gather around the large, no-frills bar or shoot pool in the front room, grab a table in the back or be dockside with a “million-dollar view” of Matlacha Pass.
And it’s those customers that come by Bubba’s often and ask about Bert’s.
“People bring us pieces of Bert’s that they find,” said Kathleen Borgert, Bert’s general manager for 12 years before coming to work at Bubba’s after Ian. “I got license plates that used to be on the wall.”
“Someone found the 12-foot alligator that was in the back room,” Jay said. “They found it three miles away and 10 feet up in the air.”
And while Bert’s was literally washed away, Bernard’s home and Bert’s office on either side of the restaurant were still standing. Mostly.
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“His house next door, the white building, lost the back wall,” Jay said. “The surge went into the first floor and that’s 12 feet up. We’re working on that too. We got power back on within a year and a half so we have air conditioning. It’s totally sealed up.”
It’s already been two years and there’s still a long way to go.
“Nothing is easy,” Jay said. ”Especially when it’s over the water.”
Jay and Bernard are fully aware of what Bert’s means to people though.
“My father always said Bert’s belongs to the people,” Jay said. “And he was just the caretaker.”
Whatever happens, Bert’s is in the best of hands.
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: Bert’s Bar & Grill: The past, present, future of this washed away gem
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