Customers, staff keep Veranda going strong at 30

The Veranda restaurant is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and owner Paul Peden attributes its success to local patrons and a loyal staff.

The restaurant, which is made up of two early 1900s houses with a common kitchen, cooks up southern food that is served by a tuxedoed wait staff.

"It's our favorite place. We've traveled the world and it has a Europe feeling to it," said Julie Rush, whose been having lunch at the Veranda every Thursday for years. "The staff is so wonderful and dear with us and we just love them."

Rush eats at the restaurant with her husband, Richard, who enjoys the crab cakes while his wife takes in the view.

"Everything is just so good and it's just a beautiful place and it's wonderful for Fort Myers," said Rush, who has practically tried everything on the menu.

Customers like the Rushes are what Peden prides himself on as well as a staff where the average employee has worked for 10 years.

"It's been through a lot of change but people come here because they know what they are going to get," Peden said about the restaurant that is constantly renovated and updated. "The location isn't that great but our customer base is from Tampa to Naples and they drive here just for the restaurant."

And, that's what Peden is hoping continues to happen as the restaurant turns 30 and continues to offer southern cooking in a relaxed atmosphere.

"It's not a rustle and bustle kind of place," said Rush, adding that the outdoor seating area is nicely lit at night and she has celebrated many birthdays and anniversaries at the Veranda. "It's so beautiful with crystal, linen napkins and [the] tablecloths are exquisite. We sit in our same spot and it's a bit of England for us."

That bit of old world charm is why customers such as Barbara Mann visit the restaurant occasionally.

"I order the crab cakes every time I go," said Mann, who mostly visits the restaurant at lunchtime. "Whatever they serve is more than satisfactory. I always enjoy eating there."