A well-known and prolific restauranteur has signed a lease at the long-vacant Olde Naples Building.
Owned by the Camalier family, the historic building on Third Street South has sat empty for nearly 20 years since Fantozzi’s, a popular gourmet deli, cheese and wine shop, closed in August 2006.
Chris Camalier, one of the building’s owners, confirmed a lease has been signed with Stefano Frittella, who operates popular eateries in Miami and Naples, as well as in Europe.
“This happened very quickly, recently,” Camalier said of the lease signing.
For years, the Camalier family had been in talks with another long-time restauranteur, Rick Doody, the founder and CEO of NCR Ventures, about opening a restaurant in the building. NCR’s multi-state portfolio includes two Bar Italia restaurants in other parts of Florida.
Asked why a deal with NCR didn’t work out, Chris Camalier said: “We had talked to other people. Unfortunately, we were never able to come to terms with the others, but we have with Mr. Frittella.”
Stefano Frittella is no stranger to the restaurant scene in downtown Naples, with ownership in Bice, Caffé Milano, La Trattoria and Vergina. Last year, he converted The Bevy on Fifth Avenue South into La Salière, an Italian eatery he launched in Monte Carlo more than 40 years ago.
Frittella could not be reached for comment.
The restaurant concept has not been decided, but it will likely have a “Mediterranean influence of some kind,” Camalier said.
As for when the new eatery might open, that’s still unknown, too.
“We are working through that now. So, I don’t have a definite timeline,” Camalier said.
The Camaliers fought for the right to open a restaurant in the building for more than a decade. Constructed in 1921, the two-story Old Florida-style building has no parking of its own, which led to legal and regulatory challenges.
Following a 25-month review process, the city issued a building permit in August 2022 to convert the property from a grocery store to a restaurant and kitchen.
The request for outdoor dining came to council nearly a year later in 2023. Due to the lack of parking, council twice denied the petition, resulting in legal action against the city.
Renovations to the building stalled as the Camaliers fought the city.
Vision for the building has changed
In December, city council approved the permit for outdoor dining as part of a compromise that included the addition of off-site parking to support it. During the hearing, Rick Doody confidently spoke of his plans to open a restaurant at the building, and he argued that it didn’t make financial sense without outdoor dining.
At the time, Doody told the council his company had only 10 restaurants, and it didn’t have any plans to add others, except for the one at the Olde Naples Building, which seemed most appropriate for his company’s flagship, premier restaurant, JoJo’s Bar, its quintessential version of a New York Italian steakhouse and bar.
Then, Doody, a seasonal resident of North Naples, sounded confident in securing the lease.
He could not immediately be reached for comment about losing the lease. With more than 40 years of experience in the restaurant industry, he co-created the Italian restaurant chains Bravo! Cucina Italiana and Brio Tuscan Grille before starting his latest restaurant venture.
The plan approved by the city council allows for 2,315 square feet of outdoor dining, with 15 tables and 76 chairs. With the addition of outdoor dining, the amount of indoor dining was reduced.
With the newly signed restaurant lease, Chris Camalier said his family is going where it has always wanted to in its efforts to bring the commercial corner at Third Street South and Broad Avenue South back to life.
In partnership with Ocean Properties, the Camaliers also developed the neighboring Olde Naples Hotel, which recently opened after years of planning and construction. Bordered by Third Street South, Broad Avenue and Gordon Drive, the 109-room, luxury boutique hotel welcomed its first guests in May.
The hotel replaced the dilapidated Third Street Plaza, demolished in late 2020 to make way for redevelopment. The Camaliers took ownership of the property in 2010.
“I think it turned out beautiful,” Camalier said of the hotel. “It met all our expectations, and we are very excited about it. About how the local community is embracing it.”
As planned, the hotel, he said, has turned out to be a gathering spot for locals. The design, which includes a garden courtyard and a vibrant bistro open to the community, was inspired by the city’s original and iconic Naples Hotel, which opened on the site in 1889 and became a social epicenter of the town.
“We are excited that it is all coming to fruition,” Camalier said of his family’s plans.
The Camaliers have been property owners in and residents of Naples since 1964.
Laura Layden is a senior business and government reporter. Reach her by email at laura.layden@naplesnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: New restaurant coming to historic Olde Naples Building
Reporting by Laura Layden, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Laura Layden, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
