It was a gas station in the 1950s.
A pizza joint and Bernie’s Hideaway followed.
But it was in 1994 that this no-frills building off State Road 80 became the Alva Diner.
This landmark restaurant — tucked among a tangle of oak and palm trees behind its trademark coffee cup sign — has been serving comfort food and comfort to locals and visitors ever since.
But after three decades, the beloved community staple is in danger of closing at the end of July if a new owner isn’t found.
“I’m moving back to Switzerland in September,” owner Nadine Stoll said while sitting at the far end of the counter on a recent Friday afternoon. “All my family is there. My parents, sister, nieces. It’s time.”
Needless to say, it’s a decision that did not come lightly.
“I’ve been thinking about it for the last three years,” said Stoll, who’s owned the beloved community diner for the last eight years. “Seriously for the last two. There’s something about this place that pulls you in, and you can’t let go.”
She officially announced her departure and the sale of the business in a May 8 post on the Alva Country Diner’s Facebook page.
“I was crying all morning, thinking about writing it,” she said. “I was crying when I posted it. I’ve just been crying. It’s the first time the public knows.”
Before posting, however, she made sure all her staff and customers knew.
“The employees have become my family,” said Stoll, who owns the business but not the property (which is also for sale) it stands on. “When I was thinking about selling, they were the first to know. Even before my family (in Switzerland) knew. Regulars knew too. They are also family.”
Interest in the Alva Country Diner is building
Word has spread quickly since Stoll posted about the sale, leaving her hopeful that someone will purchase the restaurant and the property “in a package deal.”
“The buzz has been crazy,” she said. “What’s most important to me is the Alva Diner, this restaurant or something like it, stays here. It needs to stay in some shape or form. It’s too important to the community.”
Eight hours after the post went up, Stoll had more than a dozen inquiries.
“It would be ideal to sell the property and the building simultaneously,” she said. “But if it doesn’t sell, I’m leaving no matter what. I’m very hopeful, though. So many people have already reached out.”
She bought the diner with a partner in 2018.
“I was a snowbird and used to frequent it as a customer,” she said. “Then I heard it was for sale.”
She’s been running it by herself since COVID hit in 2020.
“I never ran a restaurant before, never ran a business,” she said. “I went from being a speech therapist to cooking the eggs. I was here open to close, covering every shift that needed it. It gets overwhelming. You get caught up day after day. The restaurant business will wear you out.”
Comfort foods fill the menu at Alva Country Diner
For now, the Alva Diner remains open seven days a week. Breakfast is served until 11 a.m. every day except Sunday (when it ends at 11:30 a.m.), lunch specials kick in from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there’s an all-you-can-eat special every day. The menu is full of all the classic diner food comforts you’d expect — hot, cold and open-face sandwiches (from grilled cheese to Reubens to country fried steak), broasted chicken, land and sea selections, appetizers & soups & salads, baskets, desserts and more.
“Burgers and fried chicken are the best sellers,” Stoll said. “And prime rib. People love our prime rib. Have you been here in season? There’s a line out the door. This season was better than the one before. It was surprising and nice.”
Things are quieter now in the off-season. Hours will soon change to opening at 8 a.m. instead of at 7. And they may change again, along with the menu.
“Because I love my people so much and I’m not sure what the future holds, I told them to find other jobs if they need to,” Stoll said. “I care too much about them to make them stay.”
That staff, some of whom have been there for two decades, is one of the friendliest around.
“They’re some of the hardest working people I know,” she added. “They’re my family and best friends.”
Leaving them and the community is all so bittersweet for Stoll.
“I get so much out of the interactions with people,” she said. “This community will stick up for you and do so much for you. I’m hopeful someone will step up now. It’s such a weird and special place.”
For more information about the Alva Country Diner, call (239) 728-3366 or reach out through alvacountrydiner.com.
Find it at 21220 Palm Beach Blvd., Alva; follow on Facebook
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Beloved Southwest Florida diner could close soon if no buyer is found
Reporting by Robyn George, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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