Tim Aten Knows: Restaurant proposed for old Pewter Mug lot

Q: The old Pewter Mug spot has been vacant a long time. Seems like a good place for a restaurant. What am I missing? — Ann Walters, Naples 

A: If everything goes as planned, a new local restaurant will launch in 2026 at the vacated original spot of the Pewter Mug in North Naples.    

Seven years have passed since the original Pewter Mug restaurant and bar relocated less than 2 miles north to its current space in Tamiami Square retail center, near the Collier-Lee county line. The longtime dining spot known for its prime rib and salad bar debuted in January 1970 and closed July 31, 2018, ahead of reopening that summer in its new, larger space.  

Development of the original freestanding site at 12300 Tamiami Trail N. predates Collier County’s current land development records, so no planning documents are on file for it. Three years ago, a car wash was proposed for that property, but those plans were abandoned. This spring, site development and architectural plans for a new restaurant, tentatively named Cocohatchee River House, were filed with the county’s Growth Management Department.   

Naples Waterfront Hospitality LLC is registered to Phoenix Holdings of SW FL LLC, which is part of the Fort Myers-based Nils Richter Group of Companies. Nils Richter’s consortium focuses on real estate, construction and hospitality ventures in Southwest Florida, including partnerships with many restaurant concepts in the Fort Myers area.  

Co-owner of the Sip & Sizzle restaurant and bar that launched earlier this year in downtown Fort Myers, Richter doesn’t want to reveal specifics yet regarding his proposed hospitality project in North Naples.  

“We still have a lot of planning and permitting to do before we even can start to go into construction on that site,” he said.  

Cocohatchee River House is the name on the plans for the future lunch and dinner restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. The existing 6,363-square-foot single-story restaurant building and pavement will be demolished, and a smaller 122-seat restaurant will be built with more than double the permeable green space on the property and a deeper setback from U.S. 41.   

Expect exterior garden dining on brick paver paths in the rear of the property along the Cocohatchee River. Plans show 28 seats at tables and an adjacent firepit waiting area. Existing mangroves are clumped along concrete seawalls at the northwestern, eastern and southern parts of the property.  

The restaurant will provide 69 parking spaces and a bike rack on site, plans show. The site has an existing pedestrian walkway under the U.S. 41 bridge at the southern edge of the property that connects to the west side of the six-lane divided highway. The restaurant site is north of DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Naples on the eastern side of the road and The Perry Hotel Naples on the western side.  

The proposed buildout horizon for the Cocohatchee River House restaurant project is 2026, plans show.  

Restaurant rethink 

Q: I heard there was a breakfast place going on Triangle Boulevard and Collier Boulevard in East Naples, but now the sign shows that the space is available. Do you have any idea what it will be now? – Bonnie Urbano, Naples 

Q: Still haven’t seen progress on the TD Bank on Collier Boulevard over by Restaurant Row. Do you know what the status is on this? Has it opened yet? Is it going to ever open? Thanks for your input in advance. – Dave Belleau, Naples 

A: TD Bank plans to open its new drive-thru branch office soon, but Maple Street Biscuit Co. recently abandoned its plans for its first regional restaurant in that same new outparcel building on the northwest corner of Collier and Triangle boulevards.  

Maple Street Biscuit, known for its scratch-made Southern comfort food, is a concept owned by Cracker Barrel. The company did not respond to emailed queries regarding the possibility of the restaurant landing elsewhere in the Naples area. 

Nevertheless, expect another restaurant concept to show interest in the highly visible spot in the next phase of Restaurant Row at the Freedom Square entrance. The Lely Resort commercial space most likely will be home to another restaurant eventually, Ladd said. 

“It’s already built with a patio and everything,” he said. “We are talking to some other good restaurant users to go there.”  

TD Bank will relocate its temporary office in the Freedom Square inline retail center to the adjoining space with the drive-thru and green awnings. 

A future building planned immediately to the north on the same tract will be home to The Learning Experience, a rapidly expanding Florida-based chain of franchised daycare centers specializing in early childhood education for children aged 6 weeks to 6 years. While initially proposed as three office units, the entire building will be occupied by The Learning Experience, Ladd said. 

“We are excited about them. We think that’s a good use,” he said. 

At least one other restaurant is planned for another multiunit building that will be built within that commercial tract. That third and final building may be split by a retailer and a restaurant, Ladd said.  

“We are talking to two really good restaurants,” he said. 

The Tim Aten Knows weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at Tim.Aten@NaplesPress.com.