{"id":260220,"date":"2026-05-06T05:19:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T05:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/260220\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T05:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T05:19:08","slug":"hm-restaurant-group-celebrating-national-yucatan-shrimp-day-at-fort-myers-beach-restaurants-fort-myers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/260220\/","title":{"rendered":"HM Restaurant Group celebrating National Yucatan Shrimp Day at Fort Myers Beach restaurants – FORT MYERS"},"content":{"rendered":"


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There will be YETI cooler giveaways and a one-bite tasting competition on May 24 at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille, Dixie Fish Company and Bonita Fish Company on Fort Myers Beach.<\/p>\n

Photo provided<\/p>\n


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The National Yucat\u00e1n Shrimp Day celebration is expanding, with HM Restaurant Group bringing the May 24 festivities to Doc Ford\u2019s Rum Bar & Grille on Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel, as well as Dixie Fish Company and Bonita Fish Company at Fisherman\u2019s Wharf on Fort Myers Beach. Festivities include YETI cooler giveaways at each restaurant, a chef-driven \u201cone-bite\u201d tasting competition along Fisherman\u2019s Wharf on Fort Myers Beach and a 7K race on Sanibel.<\/p>\n

Honoring the restaurants\u2019 signature Yucat\u00e1n shrimp \u2013 heralded by The New York Times\u2019 \u2018Cooking\u2019 column as a \u201cvacation on a plate\u201d \u2013 the national holiday originated in 2020 by parent company HM Restaurant Group and is celebrated annually every May 24.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe created National Yucat\u00e1n Shrimp Day to celebrate the dish that has long defined our brand, and it\u2019s grown into something much bigger,\u201d said Joe Harrity, a partner with HM Restaurant Group. \u201cEach year, we\u2019ve expanded the experience and now it\u2019s become a signature event that brings our restaurants and the community together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beginning May 1, customers who purchase a Yucat\u00e1n menu item or a bottle of Gloria\u2019s Yucat\u00e1n sauce at Doc Ford\u2019s, Dixie Fish Company or Bonita Fish Company,.will be entered for a chance to win a YETI cooler filled with restaurant swag, including T-shirts, koozies, a bottle of Yucat\u00e1n sauce and a $100 gift card. Each restaurant will draw a winner on May 24.<\/p>\n

Fisherman\u2019s Wharf on Fort Myers Beach will serve as the hub of a waterfront block party along Matanzas Pass, highlighted by a chef-driven \u201cone-bite\u201d tasting competition. A dedicated event tent will be set up in front of Doc\u2019s House, between Dixie Fish Company and Bonita Fish Company, where chefs from Doc Ford\u2019s, Dixie Fish Company and Bonita Fish Company will each present an original Yucat\u00e1n shrimp-inspired dish. Guests can visit the tent to sample each bite and vote for their favorite. The competition will take place on Sunday, May 24, from 2 to 5 p.m., and is free and open to the public. Each vote also enters guests into a raffle to win a YETI cooler. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to see what our chefs prepare; they\u2019re all very talented,\u201d said Harrity. \u201cThe winner could become the newest Yucat\u00e1n item on our menu.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yucat\u00e1n shrimp, Doc Ford\u2019s most popular dish, pairs steamed peel-and-eat shrimp with a savory spicy sauce made from butter, fresh Key lime juice, garlic, cilantro, Colombian chili pepper sambal, salt and pepper. The Yucat\u00e1n flavor profile also appears in baked oysters, shrimp tacos and a bloody Mary.<\/p>\n

Doc Ford\u2019s on Sanibel is hosting its second annual 7K race at 7 a.m., Saturday, May 23. The 7K format was inspired by the seven ingredients in the sauce. Last year\u2019s inaugural event attracted 350 runners and walkers and raised $7,500 for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation\u2019s Sea School, an immersive environmental camp for high school students. This year\u2019s goal is to raise $10,000 for the nonprofit J.N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling Wildlife Society.<\/p>\n

Registration and donations are available at runsignup.com\/docfordsnationalyucatanshrimpday7k.<\/p>\n

Doc Ford\u2019s Rum Bar & Grille two St. Petersburg locations are also celebrating National Yucat\u00e1n Shrimp Day.<\/p>\n


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