Q: Do you know why La Rosa Pizza in East Naples closed? — Tracy Caldwell, East Naples
A: After operating La Rosa Pizzeria for more than 15 years, owners Bill and Alda Rosa decided to sell their local business and restaurant space last year because of their age and many years of working tirelessly in the restaurant industry, said their son, Bill T. Rosa.
“Bill, my dad, wanted to thank Southwest Florida for 15 great years of meeting so many great individuals,” Rosa said.
Bronx-raised Rosa had operated the local pizzeria since 2008 in the retail strip known as Pelican Larry’s Plaza along the north side of Davis Boulevard. Declining health prevented him from maintaining the grueling lifestyle necessary to own and operate a mom-and-pop place.
New owners renovated the 1,584-square-foot end unit and converted the restaurant into a breakfast-lunch spot at 7785 Davis Blvd., Suite 108. The longtime restaurateurs, who operate a similar family restaurant in Michigan, hope to launch their new restaurant — GG Brunch Haus — near the end of the year in the Naples area.
After looking at a few commercial units for sale, Albana Hoxha knew immediately that the former pizzeria was the right place to buy. The restaurant features a cozy interior and patio dining around an outdoor fountain in an adjacent courtyard.
“As soon as I walked in, I said, ‘This is it. This is the place,’” she said.
Hoxha already decided Naples was the right place for another family restaurant because the area reminds her of where she operates restaurants in Michigan and her native Albania.
“Me and my husband came for vacation, and we were driving by, and I stopped in Naples, and I fell in love with Naples,” she said. “Because I’m from a small town, Naples looks like a small-town vibe, everybody connecting, all those things. I’m going to open a place here.”
Born in Albania, Hoxha and her husband have three children. Two of their children, Julian and Angelina, were born in the U.S., where they have lived for 25 years. The family has operated the Dexter Riverview Cafe, a popular breakfast-lunch restaurant near Ann Arbor, Michigan, for 10 years.
“I just love what I do. I love what I do,” Hoxha said. “I just love being around people.”
Hoxha created the name GG Brunch Haus for the new restaurant using the first initials of the names of her husband, Gezim, and oldest son, Geraldo. Gezim “Jimmy” Hoxha, who started his food-and-beverage career at restaurants and hotels in Europe, has been a chef for decades.
“My husband started the business, and Geraldo will build the empire. I want him to continue on,” she said. “And the Brunch Haus brings people together in the morning to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the moment and, of course, enjoy the meal.”
Gezim and Geraldo Hoxha will be chefs in the kitchen, while Albana will run the front of the house, eagerly welcoming customers during the cafe’s operating hours, expected to be 7 or 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
“In Dexter, Michigan, I have very great customers, so I feel a very strong relationship. It’s hard to let them go, but that’s why I’m keeping both places at the same time,” she said. “I want to do something here that people can say. ‘Hey, we’re going to Albana’s GG Brunch Haus because we can find the great food, great atmosphere and, of course, build a great relationship with each other.’ People want that. People want to have a connection with each other.”
That connection extends to an extensive menu. Some of the most popular specialty items on the menu include gyro pita sandwiches, corned beef skillets, Greek omelets and rice pudding.
“Everything is homemade,” Hoxha said. “When you cook with love, everything is special.”
DQ OK
Q: Is it true DQ will be coming to East Naples on 41? — Connie Main, East Naples
A: The status of a Dairy Queen Grill & Chill coming to U.S. 41 East was a question Jim Dolan dreaded answering for the last three years. The Marco Island resident is finally feeling better about the new DQ franchise in East Naples that he will co-own with his wife, Cathleen.
After a long, slow process, the couple nears the construction start of their drive-thru for the national fast-casual ice cream shop chain. It’s planned on the vacant commercial lot next to Texas Tony’s Rib & Brewhouse on the East Trail between Lakewood Boulevard and Rattlesnake Hammock Road.
“We’re getting close. For the last month or so is the first time I’ve really felt comfortable talking about it,” Dolan said. Once started, the construction project is expected to take only 100 to 120 days to complete. The ground-up construction will include a 2,984-square-foot building with a drive-thru lane at 4535 Tamiami Trail E. with a canopy-covered patio at the front of the store, plans show.
“We were hoping for a groundbreaking in November, but our GC [general contractor] wants to make sure all the ducks are in a row, obviously, because if they start the project and have to pull equipment off, that’s going to jack the cost up a lot. He really wanted the last permit to be in hand; then we’ll be good to go,” Dolan said.
It looks as if the wait is nearly over.
“We are in our fourth round with the county for the building permit, but I think we’re at the very tail-end of that,” Dolan said. “So, the real big headache for like two years was the state Department of Transportation right-turn lane that we needed.”
A right-in/right-out turn lane off U.S. 41 that will connect to an access drive along the south of the future restaurant needs to be built. That required FDOT approval.
“We still have to build some way to get into it, and that was kind of the holdup,” Dolan said, noting that the state had about eight reviews of the plans. “Every time there’s a little change, it’s like two months because it’s like a month for them to review it and then it gets back to us and we have to change stuff and get back to them, so it’s like two months every time. That was kind of the massive hangup on it.”
He expects Collier County planners to sign off on the plans soon. “We’re full go ahead right now, so hopefully within the next couple weeks we’ll hear back on it. It’s in full review right now,” he said. “We’re really excited to go forward and start selling some ice cream.”
Plans for a possible miniature golf course behind the DQ have not been abandoned; they just have been temporarily shelved. Putt-putt and a Peanut Buster Parfait still could be in the future mix.
“Our plan was always to get the restaurant up first,” Dolan said. “We didn’t think this would take nearly as long as it has.”
The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim.aten@naplespress.com.
