Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar has opened at Bell Tower shopping center in south Fort Myers, marking the largest space yet of the 12-location chain that originated in Fort Lauderdale.
Renovation of the 10,000-square-foot space began in October and took about six months and cost about $3 million, said Alex Rudolph, vice president of development for Tap 42.
“I like to say we are kind of a hybrid,” Rudolph said. “We can be anywhere from a casual lunch spot to a business lunch spot to a happy hour place to a place to watch sports over dinner. We can be whatever you want us to be.”
This marks the second Southwest Florida location, following one that opened in August at Mercato in North Naples. The menu and concept remain the same at both, with appetizers such as the crispy Asian calamari tower, truffle street corn guacamole and spinach and artichoke dip in the $17 to $19 range.
Salads and burgers are in the $20 range.
Entrees, including the Wagyu steak and noodle bowl, burrata chicken parm alla vodka and southern fried chicken and waffles, are in the $24 to $30 range.
There also are three elevated entrees in the $38 to $43 range: prime chimichurri skirt steak, flame grilled 14-ounce New York strip and center cut 8-ounce filet mignon.
Craft beers cost $7, spirits $8, craft cocktails $10 and wine and shots $8 each.
The space at 13499 S. Cleveland Ave., Suite 221, has been vacant since COVID-19 shut down what was then called Society in 2020. The arrival of Tap 42 marks the latest move in revitalizing Bell Tower, following the opening of McGregor’s Public House in 2023 and The Capital Grille and Nordstrom Rack last year.
Only the former TGI Fridays space adjacent to Tap 42 has yet to be redeveloped.
“Their goal is to turn Bell Tower back into a premiere lifestyle center, just like Mercato,” Rudolph said of Bell Tower’s ownership group. “I think Fort Myers as a market, we see it as just a great demographic of people. They’re looking for great, fun, cool concepts that aren’t going to break the bank.
“When you step into this space, it may feel very high end with a lot of the finishes, but we are a very approachable, casual experience, as well.”
General Manager Matt Miller opened Tap 42 at Mercato last year and viewed the Bell Tower location as the next natural progression for a chain he said was well known on the East Coast of Florida but not yet in Southwest Florida. That’s already starting to change, he said.
“This opening has been one of the most successful openings we’ve had at Tap 42,” Miller said. “This is the first time we’ve had a rooftop bar.”
The rooftop bar features live music Wednesday nights and a DJ on Saturday nights. It opens at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturdays. The downstairs restaurant and bar open at 11:30 a.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. weekends.
Miller has hired a rotating staff of about 100 employees to get things going.
“This is a spot where you can spend your whole night,” Miller said.
Brothers Sean and Blaise McMackin founded the first Tap 42 in 2011 in Fort Lauderdale, putting to use their expertise on the facilities side of restaurant building.
“Blaise does all the interior design,” Miller said. “And Sean builds. They wanted to have fun with it. They wanted fresh ingredients and great food.”
How Tap 42 got its name falls in line with the ownership group.
“They had everything ready to go except for a name,” Miller said, “so they just counted the number of taps that they had and went with it.”
For the record, the Fort Myers Tap 42 has 24 taps, but they’re sticking with the name.
“That was in the middle of the craft beer boom,” Rudolph said. “Now we have evolved into more of a restaurant and bar program. We’ve had the same six partners since conception.
“We’re not some corporate chain. We funded our stores ourselves. We think every store has its own identity.”
