{"id":204006,"date":"2026-03-24T14:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/204006\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T14:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:58:10","slug":"beloved-island-pub-restaurant-reopens-post-hurricane-sanibel-captiva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/204006\/","title":{"rendered":"Beloved island pub, restaurant reopens post-hurricane – SANIBEL-CAPTIVA"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\nThe Mucky Duck on Captiva recently reopened its doors following Hurricane Milton in 2024.<\/p>\n

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\nThe same look and feel can be found at The Mucky Duck, including items salvaged from the storm.<\/p>\n

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\nThe Mucky Duck on Captiva is once again serving up food, drinks and specials to customers.<\/p>\n

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After taking a hard hit by the 2024 storms, The Mucky Duck on Captiva is back up and running.<\/p>\n

The beloved restaurant and pub officially reopened its doors to customers on March 14.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re grateful people have come back,\u201d owner Andreas Bieri said.<\/p>\n

When Hurricane Ian struck in 2022, there was a lot of sand and clean up, but no structural damages.<\/p>\n

\u201cIan didn\u2019t do much damage,\u201d he said. \u201cIt took us about four months to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Hurricane Helene came along in September 2024, leaving behind sand for removal again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took us a few weeks to get rid of the sand \u2014 and then (Hurricane) Milton,\u201d Bieri said of the storm that followed in October. \u201cWe were just about to open up again after Helene when Milton struck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the big one,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Sandy Bieri shared via social media that her husband and she had evacuated ahead of the storm. When they received photos of the restaurant afterward from local law enforcement, she cried her eyes out.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore sand inundation, front windows and wall gone, roof sagging, dining room trashed \u2014 we truly thought it was over,\u201d she wrote. \u201cAs most of you know, we\u2019ve been through the mill ever since Hurricane Ian in 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandy Bieri shared that her husband was already into his 70s at the time and he had been in the restaurant business for over 50 years, so his initial reaction was that he was done, it was too much.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Andreas is not a quitter,\u201d she wrote, explaining that her husband also received a call from a friend on Captiva who told him that he had to rebuild, not for himself, but for his staff and the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is the most ethical and hardworking person I have ever known, and I am more proud of him than I can say,\u201d Sandy Bieri added. \u201cNot just for what he has accomplished during his lifetime, but also for sticking out this unimaginably difficult journey of multiple hurricanes over the years and the tedious and extremely frustrating rebuilding of the Duck.\u201d<\/p>\n

And rebuilding after Milton is what he did.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt pushed in the front of the building,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was structural damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not to mention the interior damage due to water and wind.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of things were damaged inside \u2014 everything,\u201d Bieri said, citing a laundry list of things that needed replacement or repair, from the roof on down to the plumbing and electric.<\/p>\n

In addition, the Duck now boasts a new reconfigured kitchen and new computer systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks the same, the feel is the same,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have not changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found items down the street that belonged here in the dining room,\u201d Bieri added. \u201cA lot of them were damaged, but we salvaged what we could.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for elevating the restaurant or adding a roof-top deck, Sandy Bieri touched on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not a simple matter of raising our building, which has a historical designation,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThe expense, legalities, stress and logistics of not just raising our building, but also having to relocate it due to governmental regulations, or tear it down and do a new build, were not what we wanted to take on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd even if it was, it\u2019s not what we would have chosen to do \u2014 we wanted to restore the Duck the way it was, and that was our choice,\u201d Sandy Bieri added. \u201cFortunately, most folks have been very supportive along the way, and that\u2019s why we have pressed on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her husband voiced appreciation for the customers who have come back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a nice surprise,\u201d Bieri said.<\/p>\n

His wife shared his sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t even properly express our gratitude for all of the incredible support we have received over the years \u2014 and, of course, thank you to our amazing staff. You are the best,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIt truly means the world to us!\u201d<\/p>\n

Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., the restaurant offers appetizers, soups, salads and entrees.<\/p>\n

It does not accept reservations.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit https:\/\/www.muckyduck.com\/<\/a> or call 239-472-3434.<\/p>\n

The Mucky Duck is at 11546 Andy Rosse Lane, Captiva.<\/p>\n


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