R. J. Gators Closes Gulf Coast Town Center Location Ending 20 years in SWFL

R. J. Gators a Florida-based chain restaurant that first came to Southwest Florida in the late 80’s has closed their last remaining store in the area. It marks the first major casualty and closing of a full service restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center, but location had nothing to do with this one. The consistency of the restaurant and the marketing of this concept failed to impress visitors to Gulf Coast from the start. The franchise remains in tact in other parts of Florida and even in other areas of the country but this closing may spell the end of over 20 years in this market. When R. J. Gators first opened in Fort Myers in 1989 on Colonial Blvd it was considered out of town and on the way to I-75. The had immediate success prompting them to expand south. The second store opened in Bonita Springs in the mid-nineties and it was the biggest restaurant between South Ft Myers and North Naples. That location had some early success but catered more to families with a large ‘game-room’ and children’s menu and didn’t fit the demographic in Bonita. That location closed and became Duval Street, which has been closed and opened and then closed tight early last year.