FILE/NATHAN MAYBERG

Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Cafe, a hallmark on Fort Myers Beach for decades, will close on Sunday, Jan. 5.

A fundraiser will be held at the restaurant on Saturday, Jan. 4, and Sunday, Jan. 5, to support the staff at the waterfront restaurant on San Carlos Island run which was run for more than three decades by the late Bill Semmer.

The Fisherman’s Wharf property is under contract to be sold as part of several San Carlos Island properties owned by Semmer’s estate. Semmer died in January of 2023, just months after Hurricane Ian damaged the restaurant’s docks and closed it down. The restaurant triumphantly reopened in March 2023 after repairs were made while a boat remained lodged on its docks — becoming a tourist attraction.

“It’s a lot to take in,” said Semmer’s daughter Katie Reynolds. She helped oversee repairs to the restaurant and its reopening after Hurricane Ian.

“It’s hard to imagine Bonita Bill’s is not going to be there anymore,” she said.

“The reason I am closing is the estate made the decision to sell it,” Reynolds said. “It was a labor of love. A lot of blood, sweat and tears.”

Right now, all Reynolds can think about is helping to find the staff jobs after the restaurant closes. She has started a GoFundMe page for the workers and will be holding a fundraiser on closing weekend Jan. 4-5. An online store is also being launched to support the staff, with an auction planned of Bonita Bill’s memorabilia.

“I am trying to rally the community around the staff to help find them new positions,” Reynolds said. Reynolds said the Bonita Bill’s staff are “superstars” who will help any local business who hires them.

Reynolds recalled how the staff at Bonita Bill’s repaired the restaurant after Hurricane Ian and had to clean up all over again after Hurricane Milton. She credited General Manager Leah Brakefield for saving much of the restaurant’s equipment before Hurricane Milton by packing it up in a U-Haul and storing it in Cape Coral.

“You will not find harder-working, more dedicated people than the people who have worked at Bonita Bill’s,” Reynolds said. “The heart and soul of Bonita Bill’s is the people who work there.”

Reynolds said her father’s last request was to ask her to return home and help out “my dad’s commitment” to the restaurant.

“I moved down here full-time. I was working at Boeing for over 12 years and was moving into management when my dad passed,” she said.

Following Semmer’s death, Reynolds helped oversee repairs of the restaurant and its reopening two months later. She oversaw a remodeling of the restaurant’s meeting space and updated its menu while repairing its docks. The restaurant’s meeting space was used by local organizations and the property even hosted a couple weddings over the past year.

Reynolds said there has been an “amazing outpouring of people” sharing their stories of the restaurant, which has been in business since 1991. “We are collecting those stories to share online,” Reynolds said. “A lot has been shared about how much life happened at that little watering hole. My life happened there. I grew up there.”

Reynolds said she was proud that the restaurant was able to reopen after Hurricane Ian devastated the property and other San Carlos Island properties owned by the Semmer family.

“I am beyond proud of what we did and what the team did,” Reynolds said. “I am proud to say the hurricanes didn’t beat us.”

Reynolds said she was also proud that Bonita Bill’s was a longtime supporter of local fishermen. The restaurant bought its seafood from local fishermen, including its shrimp from Erickson and Jensen.

For years, the restaurant was home to the annual Fourth of July children’s fishing tournament. Reynolds remarked how children who fished in the tournament years ago would return as parents with their own children to compete in the tournament. Free food, fishing equipment, trophies would be given out to families.

Semmer would also sponsor fireworks on Fort Myers Beach. “My parents had such a dedication to the community,” Reynolds said.

Bonita Bill’s was popular with locals and visitors for its open-air, laid-back atmosphere along the docks overlooking the bay. The restaurant earned a reputation for its seafood and sandwiches, and breakfast under an affordable and comfortable menu. The fresh, local seafood catches accompanied hamburgers, B.L.T’s and chicken wings on the menu. Decorations on its ceiling detailed visitors from around the country including many fire and police department patches.

In 1991, Semmer purchased the property at the end of Fishermans Wharf which was known as the Bonita Fish Company and Fish House and turned it into Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Cafe and Tiki Bar. The property’s use dated back to 1926, when it was a fish house.

Semmer also operated Semmer Electric, rental properties and owned the building occupied by the Ostego Bay Marine Science Center next door. Both properties as well as a vacant lot are part of the sale under contract. Reynolds said her late mother Shirley was also a big part of the success of Bonita Bill’s and Semmer’s other business from “behind the scenes.” Both were heavily involved in the community, supporting local organization’s like the Fort Myers Beach Lion’s Club, Beach Kids Foundation and local events.

Reynolds said Bonita Bill’s was like a “second home” for her and her family growing up. It’s where she would eat breakfast with her parents and siblings, it’s where the family celebrated birthday parties and baby showers.

The GoFundMe page to support the staff of Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Cafe can be found HERE.