A gargantuan effort from owners and staff allowed the Riviera Bar and Grill to reopen less than a week after two hurricanes flooded the Punta Gorda waterfront restaurant that has been around since the 1950s.

Two of the four owners — Ronnie and Joe Pocklington — rolled up their sleeves after Hurricane Helene and reopened in just five days, Ronnie Pocklington said.

What attracts people to their restaurant is the very thing that puts it in harm’s way, as the restaurant was built next to Alligator Creek where patrons enjoy sweeping views of the waterway and the boats going by.

In late September, the storm surge from Helene flooded the restaurant. “We lost a lot of equipment,” Ronnie Pocklington said.

For five days, upward of 15 staff members removed water and tore out cabinets in the main restaurant, removing drywall down to the studs before cleaning and sanitizing.

“We sprayed all the walls with a mold killer,” she said. Riviera reopened, but due to equipment loss, owners and staff had to improvise. The kitchen staff cooked with grills, and since the restaurant’s coolers were destroyed, food was kept in smaller coolers and ice chests.

After being open for a few days, Milton bared down on the area.

Joe Pocklington took the grills out when the restaurant was about to close ahead of the storm, storing them in his garage.

Milton’s surge was greater than Helene’s. After the floodwaters receded, the Pocklingtons and staff were back in the restaurant, cleaning out the water and muck, sanitizing everything again, removing more drywall and spraying walls with more mold killer.

Six days after their Milton cleanup began, the Riviera reopened again.

Like other restaurants in the area that sustained flooding, staff members would have no income from tips until their establishments could reopen.

Recalling the hours of labor it took to reopen twice, Ronnie Pocklington said, “We did it. The crew, staff, my kitchen manager and kitchen crew worked side by side.”

In all, upward of 60 people worked to help the restaurant reopen.

The Pocklingtons purchased Riviera Bar and Grill in 2020. It is among the oldest waterfront restaurants in Charlotte County.

Years ago, it was called Riviera Oyster Bar, and to this day, remains a popular gathering place for locals and visitors alike.

Meanwhile, the equipment has since been replaced with everything new and special events have resumed.

Tour boat captains will soon be ferrying visitors to the restaurant as tourist season approaches.

Riviera Bar and Grill, 5500 Deltona Drive, is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. There is live music Thursday through Sunday, beginning at 2 p.m.