Annie’s Restaurant open for business
An iconic and well-known Cape Coral restaurant is back open.
New owners, Steve and Ron DeMuro, bought Annie’s Restaurant last year and reopened it earlier this month after the popular breakfast and lunch spot received major renovations.
The cousins have a special place in their hearts for mom-and-pop restaurants and they appreciated Annie’s small-town vibe.
“This weekend was crazy,” Steve DeMuro said. “It’s a whole new layout. There was a 15-20-minute wait.”
And that was without doing any promotion. There’s just something about Annie’s that draws people in.
The restaurant, at 814 S.E. 47th Street, has been a Cape Coral staple over the past 30 years. Annie’s is known for its plate-sized pancakes and mom-and-pop feel.
When it went up for sale last year, the cousins jumped on the opportunity to buy it.
DeMuro liked its mom-and-pop legacy and the established clientele.
“If you complement a very good breakfast with a good lunch, it’s a home run,” he said.
The restaurant’s hours have been extended to 4 p.m. (except Sunday Annie’s is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and new items like burgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches have been added to the menu.
But don’t worry; the plate-sized pancakes aren’t going anywhere.
“One day we had three people come in the morning and then come back for lunch,” DeMuro said.
He gives Anne Herbert credit for making Annie’s into what it is today.
“It’s been open a long time and we have a lot of regulars,” he said. “Without her we couldn’t have this conversation right now. We’ve got to give her credit where credit due.”
Herbert founded and owned Annie’s for 30 years until her death last year at 78.
DeMuro is also no stranger to the restaurant industry.
He’s been working in them since he was a teenager.
“It’s all I know,” he said. “It’s like you’re married to the place. You got to really want it. I like people. I’m a people person.”
The remodel took three weeks and two days to complete.
“For the most part, it’s been completely redone,” he said. “We revamped the whole place-the walls, ceiling, floor, tables and chairs.”
His mom picked out the two-tone colors. The top is rust-orange and the bottom is charcoal. There are white moldings, granite countertops and the tables are cherry wood. The host stand is also granite.
“Every time I go out on the floor, I get compliments on it every day,” he said. “People I don’t even know tell me it looks great.”
DeMuro says people have been curious about the restaurant’s renovations.
“People want to see the new place in town, especially if it’s been a staple for a long time. They want to see what’s changed.”
DeMuro says there have been a lot of moving parts, but he knows he has a lot of good people working for him.
“I’ve got a good crew in the back,” he said.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and he’s taking Annie’s one step at a time.
“The place has been here for so long and it’s such a staple,” he said. “I’m fully dedicated to making it the best.”
“I can guarantee it’ll be the best breakfast place in Cape Coral.”