Dwyers takes summer hiatus

It was a melancholy day at Dwyers Prime Steakhouse on Monday.

The upscale two-story restaurant in south Fort Myers officially closed its doors for the summer. It has only closed one other time in five years — a monthlong hiatus last fall that turned the former Irish pub into a prime dining locale.

“The economy is affecting everything,” said chef Bill Wavrin, the restaurant’s general manager who was brought in to renovate the kitchen, redo the menu and train staff last year. “During season we were busy as living heck but things have slowed down.”

The decision to close the restaurant after the snowbirds left came down to economics, Wavrin said.

“It’s expensive to keep this restaurant open ... it’s $2,000 a day just to open the doors,” he said about the restaurant, which will continue to host private parties. “Today was the first day we closed and we’ve received more than 200 calls already.”

Owner Jim Dwyer has plans to keep the staff and have them work during the restaurant’s private functions.

“He has lived here since the ’70s when everybody used to close for the summer ... but it was still a tough decision,” Wavrin said.

The restaurant will reopen when the snowbirds return; however, it could be in a new location.