FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 6, 2014) – The wait is finally over. Bennett’s Fresh Roast’s new Sanibel location will officially open on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 6 a.m.
Located just over the causeway bridge at 1020 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel next to the Lazy Flamingo restaurant, Bennett’s includes indoor seating for 40 people and patio seating for 10 people.
“We are very excited to not only be embarking on our second shop but also to have a location on one our area’s most treasured islands,” said Bennett’s owner Bob Grissinger, former local morning disc jockey C. David Bennett. “We have patrons who drive from Sanibel daily for our doughnuts and coffee, but now we will be able to accommodate them and our many visitors more conveniently.”
According to Grissinger, major renovations on the 2,700-squarefoot building including exterior landscaping improvements caused the anticipated delay in opening. The new location will have the same hours and offerings as the current shop located in downtown Fort Myers. Bennett’s is open Monday through Sunday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“We opened in downtown Fort Myers in February 2008 at the beginning of the country’s worst economic downturn in 70 years,” said Bennett’s co-owner Frank Albano. “It’s so gratifying to know that we’ve come so far in such a short period of time. We’re grateful from the bottom of our hearts to Southwest Florida.”
Albano, who will oversee the Sanibel location, said they have hired more than a dozen full-time, year-round staff members to operate the new location.
“With the price of the property, renovations and new equipment and fixtures, this is a $3 million investment that we are very proud of,” said Grissinger.
Bennett’s Fresh Roast has prided itself on its fresh-from-scratch doughnuts made daily and being the only Fort Myers’ shop to serve fresh roasted coffee from the finest beans resulting in the most flavorful and freshest cup of coffee around. For the past five years, the Bennett’s team has been known for unveiling delicious new doughnut concoctions from flavors including maple bacon, pumpkin spice, maple toffee crunch, s’mores and more. The shop has also become known for surprising offerings like its limited sale (which sold out) of Kopi Luwak coffee, often called “cat-poo coffee” after the prized bean from Indonesia that’s eaten by wild civets, passed through the animal’s digestive tract, and then collected and processed for brewing.
In addition to fresh roasted coffee and hand-cut-from-scratch doughnuts, Bennett’s also offers fresh desserts from Grissinger’s own recipe book including praline bread pudding, lemon bars and pies, giving area residents an alternative for afternoon treats. Bennett’s also features packaged whole bean or ground coffees, breakfast muffins, oatmeal and breakfast sandwiches. On the weekends, Bennett’s Strata (a layered baked breakfast dish) is a regular sellout. Tea lovers can choose from a large variety of Harney & Sons Fine Teas.
Lunch offerings including paninis, soups, sandwiches, three signature salads and Bennett’s ‘Chicken & Donut’ and ‘Donut Dog’ are available Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bennett’s Fresh Roast’s Sanibel phone number is 239-312-4651. For more information, visit www.bennettsfreshroast.com.
