Former Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson said there are a lot of “buy one, get one free” sales at Publix, but in real estate, “BOGO” doesn’t exist.
Henderson owns the property at 2136 Bay St., adjacent to his office building on Dean Street Court, and has been using it for a parking lot. For years, he has been looking for a way to make more money from the property.
“It’s been really challenging figuring out what we want this place to be when it grows,” Henderson said. “Right now we’re seeing a lot of hyperinflation in the development industry, and that’s a direct threat to these activities. This really makes sense.”
On May 29, Henderson and David Fry, the two lead investors, celebrated the grand opening of Bay Street Yard, a food truck park featuring Asian, Mexican and American concepts, two full bars and an elevated party deck. The deck can accommodate 70 people, and reservations are required for groups of eight or more.
Featured food trucks include Bonzai Asian Street Cuisine, Rick’s Taco Cartel and Bay Street Butcher.
While Henderson was exploring concepts for the property, Frye was searching for a site that would fit his own concept. In January 2022, he sold a 0.27-acre parcel at 2300 First Street for $2.5 million that will become a hotel.
Henderson lot size: Also 0.27 acres.
“There was a property on First Street that we were working on this concept for, but we ended up selling that property,” Frye said, “Randy and I talked about it and decided to build it here.”
They considered other concepts like mobile food and an outdoor bar, since building a small apartment-like structure would have cost tens of millions of dollars and likely would not be profitable.
“It started about three or four years ago, when I thought maybe people wanted to be outdoors,” Frye said. “I started thinking about what it would be like if we had an outdoor bar. So I looked online and found some bars in Austin, Texas. I started sketching out this concept. And then COVID-19 hit. And once COVID-19 hit, people wanted to be outdoors even more. To me, it just made sense.”
Bay Street Yards cost about $3 million to design and build, Frye said.
It was designed by architect Joyce Owens.
Henderson and Fry said they expect traffic to slow during hot, rainy seasons, but are hopeful for better attendance in other seasons. Even in summer, an adjacent parking lot provides shade for Bay Street Yard in the evenings, and 28 electric fans keep the area cool.
“I was blown away by the food,” Frye said. The restaurant is managed by Paradise Hospitality through Mainsail, which also owns the Luminary Hotel across the street. “We have a full bar. We have a liquor license. We have craft beers and fine wines.”
“The lot was actually perfect. We had a great idea. But as I said, the garage next door is a blessing because it provides shade for our lot.”
