By Ryn Gargulinski, Staff Reporter
Florida is all sunshine, beaches and white kitchen cabinets, right? Well, that’s not ALL it is. It’s also swampland, adventure, alligators, cowboys, cattle, country fishermen, and the unbridled wildness of body, mind and spirit. The latter is what gives us the cherished moniker of “The Freedom State” – and it’s also what Florida Boy Burger Co. is all about.
Spearheaded by Lee County natives Roger Lolly and Lou Cioffi, Florida Boy Burger opened a Cape Coral location in February. As part of the larger Florida Boy brand, the restaurant continues the legacy of paying homage to old Florida – in the most delicious way. Appetizers range from alligator sausage to jumbo frog legs. Burgers can be served straight up or with fanciful, red hot, or even a peanut butter and jelly twist – depending on your mood of the day.
Wildlife abounds from floor to ceiling, including a racoon fishing above the register, a wild boar’s head guarding the bathroom hallway, and a tank of live baby alligators greeting visitors in the main dining room.
Tributes to old Florida bedeck the walls, complete with cow hides, python skins, and wooden crate slats from farms throughout the state. You’ll also find historical photos – like Babe Ruth catching a gator – along with images of family, friends and other Florida locals doing what they do best: live for adventure. “Swimming with alligators has been done for generations,” Roger says as he shares a video clip of him doing exactly that. He comes from six generations of fishermen on Pine Island, where his grandma served as mayor – a post she won in a drinking contest.
“She always had an Old Milwaukee in one hand and a long brown More cigarette dangling in the other,” Roger recalls. Mullet fishing with his uncle in the bay is another fond memory. His uncle would throw the kids into the water, then throw each kid a paddle. “Our job was to scare the sharks out of the nets by hitting the nets with the paddle,” Roger says.
Lou has equally entertaining childhood stories, especially around his father’s plumbing business on Del Prado. Lou remembers shop employees asking him to go get them a drink from the cooler – where they’d hide baby gators as a surprise.
Lou and Roger met while both attending Mariner High School, noting they were probably in the bottom one percent of students. “They were glad to get rid of us,” Roger laughs. Both also went on to earn M.B.A. degrees, with Roger in his final stages of earning a doctorate in education. Both are married with kids and live in Fort Myers. Perhaps most notably, both share a passion for old Florida they aim to continue to celebrate through the Florida Boy brand. With more than 300,000 FloridaBoyInc Instagram followers and a reality show picked up by a network (company majorityowner Roger is still reviewing the contract), the brand is already a major hit.
And with a menu that includes half-pound burgers, local ingredients, and a vibe that immerses you in old Southern charm, Cape Coral’s Florida Boy Burger restaurant is poised to do the same. A Fort Myers location has already met with success, and others are planned for Orlando and Jacksonville. “People come in as customers,” Lou says, “and they leave as family.”
Florida Boy Burger Co.
1402 Del Prado Blvd.
www.Burgers.inc
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