Super stacks, full stacks, short stacks and baby cakes are back on Fort Myers Beach .
The Island’s Pancake House — a mid-island staple in Sea Grape Plaza since 1977 — reopened Labor Day weekend, nearly two years after Hurricane Ian ripped through Southwest Florida.
“There was nothing left after the hurricane,” Brian Martins said of the restaurant he co-owns with his wife Stacey. “Everything was gone.”
Which means everything inside now is new.
“It’s fun to watch the locals come in for the first time since Ian,” Brian said. “I love to see their reactions. They’re like, ‘holy cow, wow.’”
New interior, same vibe
They’re finding baby blue diner-style padded booths and chairs, a new breakfast bar and brand new tables and flooring. A wall in the large dining room was blown out by Ian, adding 500 more square feet.
The beach-themed murals on the freshly painted walls have a familiar feel.
The Martins moved to this area from Minnesota to buy a restaurant and ultimately bought The Island’s Pancake House on June 24, after falling in love with the 1970s Florida feel of it.