One Year Later

It's tough enough for a new business to make it in Fort Myers Beach without hurricanes compounding the challenge. But that's just what Myriam Roux had to contend with soon after opening her French restaurant, Tropikafé. Charley ripped a portion of the roof off the building, forcing Roux to close for two months. "Every time we wanted to re-open, there was one more hurricane coming in, so there was no way we could've opened," she says.

The roof wasn't repaired until January. In the interim, customers shied away, thinking the eatery was closed. Fortunately Roux's landlord made a deal on rent to get her through the tough times. "Everything worked out. We're fine," she says. "I could see where, if someone went in [to start a business] on a shoestring budget, it could hurt."

Thinking back, Roux says she would've done a few things differently in her first year in business, hurricane or not. She would've walked around the island passing out fliers to locals and letting them know she was in business. "I didn't make time for it," she says. "Now, we're doing it all the time. You have to go and get the people into your restaurant. They won't just walk in."

Prior to opening, Roux was in college, so operating her first restaurant has been a learning experience for her on many fronts. "I'm a woman who is 25 and I look like I'm 17," she says. "And I'm a foreigner-French. Sometimes distributors are coming to you thinking you're some kind of idiot."

Another hurdle is the perception that French food is pricey. But Roux's restaurant serves a wide range of reasonably priced dishes, including American cuisine. "People are scared [to walk in the door]," she says. "They have this thinking that maybe French food is expensive or fancy. But we're more like a bistro."

Thankfully, Roux's satisfied customers are putting in a good word for the restaurant.

-John Francis