PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — More than a year after Hurricane Helene ravaged the Bay area, one Gulfport restaurant can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
The Neptune Grill recently reopened with a staff just as resilient as the newly renovated building.
What You Need To Know
- More than a year after Hurricane Helene ravaged the Bay area, one Gulfport restaurant can see the light at the end of the tunnel
- It’s been almost 15 years since Dia Vartsakis, and her father Gus, opened the Neptune Grill in Gulfport
- The Vartsakis’ dream turned into a nightmare when Helene and Milton swept across the region, all but destroying their restaurant
- Flood insurance did help out some. But Dia and her dad have dipped into their savings, taken out loans and swiped their credit cards just to survive. Now, the place is open a few days a week
- Location: 5501 Shore Blvd S., Gulfport, FL 33707
It’s been almost 15 years since Dia Vartsakis, and her father, Gus, opened their Greek restaurant right in the heart of downtown Gulfport.
But when Helene came to the Neptune Grill, the Roman god of the sea was no protection from the damage of the hurricane.
“When I walked in that day…the countertop, which was quartz, was on the ground,” she said. “And I pretty much walked into (the) patio and it was just a complete, open, blank nothing.”
The Vartsakis’ dream turned into a nightmare overnight. Not only was their restaurant destroyed, they own the building that houses three other shops. All faced similar damage.
It’s been almost 15 years since Dia Vartsakis, and her father Gus, opened their Greek restaurant right in the heart of downtown Gulfport. She said it was tough seeing the business heavily damaged. (Spectrum News image)
“I basically, at that point, thought to myself, ‘Well, I guess [you should] go to bed, because tomorrow is going to be a long day,” Vartsakis said.
She was right. Dia says it took weeks to clean up and months before they received their first building permits.
Once they were approved in February, construction started almost immediately.
Flood insurance did help out some. But Dia and her dad have dipped into their savings, taken out loans and swiped their credit cards just to survive.
“Every piece of equipment is brand new, Vartaskis said. “From refrigeration to cooking equipment. Everything had to be replaced.”
That includes new booths, tables and décor in the dining room. And the walls they’re now reinforced, along with the large hurricane proof windows.
“To know that the structure is sound, and that the weak spots we had are no longer there makes us a little more confident going into the future,” she said. “Hopefully never dealing with a Helene again.”
For now, Neptune is only open a few days a week, running a limited menu. Many of the core staff have returned and so have customers’ appetites.
Despite all the pain, all the hard work, Vartsakis said she can still see the glass half full.
“I got to spend a lot of quality time with my dad,” she said of time they spent together during the rebuild. “And even though a lot of it was what we had to do to get Neptune Grill open, to get the structure put back together, that 30-minute lunch or coffee or whatever was quality time I probably would’ve never had.”
Spectrum News Staff
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