Rod & Reel Pier restaurant opens its temporary location

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — After being closed more than a year, a popular business is finally open again on Anna Maria Island — the Rod & Reel Pier Restaurant.

Last year, the structure was literally swept away by Hurricane Milton.

But today, customers and staff are back. The restaurant opened its temporary location as it waits for the pier to be rebuilt.

The Rod & Reel Pier is back for the first time in more than a year.

Assistant Manager Dawn Stockford welcomed longtime customers back to the restaurant they call their second home.

“We are ready, guys. We are ready — so happy to see this turnout,” she said.

It’s the first look inside the new — but temporary — location in Holmes Beach. And it’s like a walk down memory lane for many, passing by pieces on the wall that people recognize from the original location, along with photos reflecting memories from the pier.

“I love it — very nice,” one customer said as they walked in for the first time.

It took eight months for this place to get up and running. Now staff members are back, serving customers with the same food from the original menu.

Stockford has been working for the Rod & Reel Pier for 10 years.

She calls this a temporary home until the pier is rebuilt, but she still plans to make the best of it.

“We are going to build new memories here,” she said.

There is no set date for when construction will begin at the site of the original pier and restaurant, but there are still plans to rebuild.

“Now I think we need, like, five different permits from different agencies. And we’ve gone through, I’d say, about 80 to 90 percent. I mean, we’re well on our way,” the owner, Olie Lemke, said.

Lemke says revenue from the now-open restaurant will help the rebuilding efforts.

“Every dime that’s spent here goes into rebuilding the pier, and every meal counts,” he said.

And the customers know each meal means they’re one step closer to sitting at their spot on the pier.

One customer, Flint Heidlebaugh, was there enjoying a meal.

“Oh, it’s awesome. It feels great. Everybody’s having a good time. And I love the pictures and the memorabilia,” he said.

For Stockford, happy customers mean a busy restaurant — and a sense of normalcy, even if it’s miles away from the original Rod & Reel Pier.

The temporary location for the Rod & Reel Pier Restaurant is in Holmes Beach at 3246 East Bay Dr.