The opening of a unique seafood restaurant at Fishermen’s Village, featuring locally-caught fresh fish, is being delayed.
The owners of Leroy’s Fish Shack expected it to open next month before running into a couple of unexpected delays. Instead, the restaurant will open in early 2025 in the space formerly occupied by the Village Fish Market, said co-owner Lee Richardson.
The restaurant, which will pay tribute to the area’s history, has been a longtime goal of Richardson, who, along with his partner Mike Wright, owns and operates Leroy’s Southern Kitchen & Bar in downtown Punta Gorda.
Richardson said the delay is due to mold being found at the location and Fishermen’s Village being in receivership. Thus, it’s taken longer for Richardson to navigate the channels and work with the receiver to figure out how mold remediation will be done.
He said the mold scrub will begin next week, and afterward he will find workers to do “the fastest work possible.”
The entire interior already has been gutted, Richardson said.
Although Leroy’s Fish Shack will have the same square footage as Village Fish Market, the interior will look totally different. The bar, which used to be in the front, will now be at the rear of the restaurant, he said. Also, the decor will have the ambience of old fish shacks with a Key West-type vibe.
“We have been working on building a captain’s walk behind the restaurant,” Richardson said.
Commercial fishermen will pull their boats up to the restaurant’s dock three to four times a week and wheel in fish so Fish Shack patrons can enjoy fresh seafood.
The restaurant’s suppliers will be commercial fishermen whose families have been working in the industry since the 1800s.
The fish will be cooked and prepared fresh, but the menu will vary as the local fish offerings will depend on what the fishermen are catching, Richardson said.
Among the varieties of fish will be different kinds of grouper, snapper, hogfish, flounder, wahoo, shrimp and crab.
Richardson has been working with Leroy’s Southern Kitchen chef, and they have come up with “pages of recipes, all will be our own creations,” he said.
The Fish Shack will offer traditional fried and broiled seafood platters that are popular with the public. The big difference will be that the food on their plate will be locally sourced and fresh, he said.
In addition to the dining experience, patrons will learn about the history of fishing in Charlotte County, the estuary and the family-owned fish shacks whose photos and information will be on display.
Born and raised in Charlotte County, Richardson said since he opened Leroy’s Southern Kitchen in 2015, “I’ve been looking for the right spot to do this restaurant—it’s got to be perfect.”
When he heard that the Village Fish Market space had become available, he began negotiations with leasing agent SVN Commercial Partners in the spring.
