Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor

FMBGN-BIZ-Snug Harbor-Why Locals Love It In The Summer

• "Cabo" Jim Schaller • Season 6 • Episode 20

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Empty streets, easier parking, and a table on the dock without a wait: that’s the Fort Myers Beach off-season most visitors never experience. We’re back at Snug Harbor with Jason to talk about what really changes when the crowds thin out and why locals can turn “slow season” into the best season for dockside dining, sunset chasing, and genuinely relaxed nights on the bay.

We get specific about the food, too. Jason breaks down how their fresh seafood pipeline works, from weekly deliveries at the fish house to the moments when boats come in loaded and the team can hand-pick what ends up on the specials menu. We talk what’s running right now, from tilefish and porgy to red snapper, blackfin tuna, and even barracuda, plus why the specials board is often the smartest order if you care about “right off the boat” freshness. If you’ve been searching for the best seafood restaurant on Fort Myers Beach or wondering what to order for the freshest fish, you’ll leave with a clear plan.

We also hit local favorites, including Gulf pink shrimp sourced from Erickson & Jensen, and a personal pick that regulars love: the grouper gourmet topped with crab and finished with a blonde beer sauce. Beyond the plate, Jason shares how the team stays motivated during the quieter months, what’s happening with live music and local Wednesdays, and why the back-bay sunsets are still the main event. There’s even a quick dolphin story that nails the whole point: sometimes the most unforgettable moments happen when you stop rushing and just look up.

Subscribe for more Fort Myers Beach neighbor stories, share this with a friend who needs a sunset dinner plan, and leave a review so more locals can find the show.

Snug Harbor Restaurant
Jason Jakaitis
645 Old San Carlos Boulevard, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931
(239) 463-4343
snugharbormgt@gmail.com
snugharbor.restaurant
#SnugHarborRestaurant
#DocksideDining
#FreshSeafood
#CincodeMayo
@snugharborwaterfrontrestaurant

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Welcome And Local Shoutouts

Intro/Close

Welcome to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor Podcast. No shade, just sunshine, drama-free, positive vibes only. Each episode we bring you closer to the neighbors, local legends, and businesses that support the local community and make Fort Myers Beach the splice of paradise we all love. We want to send out some island loved State Insurance USA, Snug Harbor, Nervous Nellies, and the Alex King Group. They're the good neighbors and businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener. Pull up a beach chair, grab a drink, and let's meet the people who make this island feel at home. Here's your host, Cabo Jim S challer.

Off-Season Vibes And Easy Seating

"Cabo" Jim

All right, welcome, Fort Myers Beach, good neighbors, to another episode. We're at Snug Harbor here in the bay again with Jason, and uh we're talking off season. Well, not say slow season, but off season, right? Off season, yeah. Absolutely, absolutely, yes. So, how does the atmosphere here change?

Jason Jakaitis

Well, definitely, you know, there's a lot less people, right? You know, we've got plenty of room for large parties, you know, so um plenty of uh plenty of room. We've got uh seating out on the dock, you know, that's available. Um, seating underneath, you know, it is a little bit warmer, so you know.

"Cabo" Jim

Some people like the sense, some people don't.

Jason Jakaitis

Yep, some do. So, you know, we've got uh plenty of seating underneath. Um, you know, with the rainy season, it can get a little uh complicated. Right. So um, but yeah, you know, most of the time you just get a little storm that bushes over. Right. Um, I like to say we're in the back bay bubble back here.

"Cabo" Jim

No, because it stays over on that side and it doesn't come over here.

Jason Jakaitis

Yeah, it stays on that side. Um, but yeah, it rains for a few minutes and then uh usually passes over, nice breeze comes through, and then you can enjoy the rest of the evening.

"Cabo" Jim

We usually get a good sunset, right? Everyone's no, absolutely not a rainbow, right?

Jason Jakaitis

Yes, something happened in there. Absolutely.

"Cabo" Jim

So why is uh the season, the off-season, a great time for locals to come out and visit?

Jason Jakaitis

Well, like I said, there's a lot more room. There's no weight, you know what I mean. You can pretty much walk in, sit right down, get into a table. Um, we have a chance to run some maybe specials that are a little

Specials And Fresh Fish Off Boats

Jason Jakaitis

um easier to execute in the off season when we have a little more time. So we try to bring back some of those uh older specials that we uh ran back in the in the day. Uh a few weeks ago, we brought back the Coquil St. Jacques. So we ran that for uh the the last week. Um but yeah, bringing back some of those old favorites that uh that people like.

"Cabo" Jim

So it's it's good a good time for the locals to come out because they get to try those things at different season.

Jason Jakaitis

Sometimes too busy to get too too complic complicated to uh to push during season.

"Cabo" Jim

Yeah. So why why is this a little bit different than season for I don't want to say for the menu? I mean, obviously you get to try new things, but are there certain things that are on the menu as far as fish are concerned in seasonality?

Jason Jakaitis

Um you know, uh we are usually are able to get in a pretty consistent uh supply of fresh fish. Um right now, you know, we've got the uh the tile fish going on. Um we still get a lot of porgi in. Uh Red Snapper is gonna be coming in all the time. Um but yeah, we just uh we're we're we're able to really get a kind of pick of the litter uh whenever the boats come in. Uh we put on a uh Facebook post um a few weeks back when the boats came in. Right. Um we uh unloaded like 4,000 pounds of fish. Wow. Um, you know, we sell that off as well, but then we also hand pick some of that fish that comes in. So we're able to handpick uh the barracuda that comes in, you know. So we were able to grab a couple barracuda. There's some black fin tuna that comes in, so we grab a couple of those. Um so we're just able to really just get the pick of the litter on what what comes in. We're lucky like that.

"Cabo" Jim

Yeah, I've had some of the barracuda. Very good. Frizzer did a great job with it, but uh you do have your own boats, which a lot of people don't know, right?

Jason Jakaitis

Right, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, Nick has the uh docks right over the beach there. Uh as you come over on the first bridge, right before on the right, is our uh fish house. So, you know, we get weekly deliveries there. Um, yeah, and then unload the boats. And like I said, we uh between us SOBs and Wahoo, we're able to kind of skim off the top and and take the the really nice stuff and uh and sell the rest of it. Why not? Right? That's the way it works.

"Cabo" Jim

Yeah, so are there certain dishes or or types of fever that are more popular with the people?

Jason Jakaitis

Um you know what? Grouper snapper. I mean a grouper snapper. Um, and then I tell everybody whenever uh they come in to look at that special menu because that's gonna be the stuff that we get right off the boat, like super fresh, super um uh you know, seat a table. Yeah, it's right there. Um and that and that's really what I recommend going for.

"Cabo" Jim

Nice,

Pink Shrimp And Staff Favorites

"Cabo" Jim

nice. And you mentioned locals. So uh I think you are one of the few places on the beach that actually sell the the pink shrimp from uh Erickson Jensen.

Jason Jakaitis

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, we uh we grab from them like two to three times a week. It's really easy to just drive right over the bridge and and go grab a uh a bucket of uh, or not a bucket, but a big bag. Uh we get just a big bag of 25 pounds to 50 pounds of just unsorted uh peel and eat golf pinks. Uh and then yeah, we boil them up and uh sell them to you guys. Nice, nice. Absolutely.

"Cabo" Jim

Personal favorites for you as far as uh seafood on the menu. Hmm. Probably you probably have something that's not on the menu, right?

Jason Jakaitis

Uh you know what though? I mean, uh I really like the the the grouper gourmet. You know what I mean? It it's just really good, fresh grouper, and then we do a crab mix on the top and put a uh sauce over the top of it, the uh the beer blonde sauce that's just amazing. So yeah, it's uh it's really good and super popular in season. You know, you sell 50 to 60 of those things, um, and people love it. And then a good uh margarita with some El Mayor tequila, uh, and a little floater grand manier on the top to uh chase it down and uh and you're in paradise. I love that. I love that.

"Cabo" Jim

We gotta have the combo, and it is, you know, I'll go off record and say it is natural tequila today. Is it? Nice, all right. Well, perfect, perfect. We gotta celebrate. Absolutely, absolutely.

Keeping The Team Busy Off-Season

"Cabo" Jim

So, so one of the other things, I mean, it's tough number one to to keep people working, but to keep them motivated during off season. Are there certain things you do? I mean, obviously you work with a smaller staff during during the slower season, correct?

Jason Jakaitis

Yeah, you know, uh, you know, we we we try to um we're still able to find a lot of hours for these guys and and and a lot of stuff for them to do because we end up really just trying to focus on a lot of maintenance in the off-season. Yeah. So giving them things to do, giving them things to clean, cleaning the building, painting stuff, um, taking care of that, you know, just all kinds of stuff. But yeah, we we've got a really good staff. Um, but uh yeah, it it's just it's like any time where it gets uh it gets rough for these next couple months, you know.

"Cabo" Jim

So but there's stuff to do, right? Yeah, exactly.

Jason Jakaitis

Absolutely, but that's why we need all our locals to come out and and support us down here and and and come out and see us and and hang out. We still have, you know, every Sunday we still have the Bayside Park series going on. So, you know, four to seven, we've got a band there every week. Um and you've got local Wednesdays, right? We still have local rent Wednesdays running out for one more Wednesday. We've got one more Wednesday going, and then we're gonna take about a two-month break, and then the first week of October we'll start back up with the local Wednesdays again. Um, but we've got a really good guy coming in. We've got Vic uh coming in. Uh he's an awesome local musician, so he'll be here on Wednesdays. Yeah, absolutely.

"Cabo" Jim

So again, getting back to supporting local businesses during this time. I mean, it's a great time to get out and joy.

Live Music Nights And Local Deals

"Cabo" Jim

You're not waiting, you're not within the crowds, you're getting great service. Yep, great to get to try some new things. Yes. So, ideal time to come on out and check things out for the locals.

Jason Jakaitis

Man, I'll tell you what, anytime's a great time. You know, any time is really a great time. Uh, there's no wait, pretty much any time. Um, but I mean, if you want to get down here, and I mean for the best time, you know, it is gonna be right at around sunset. You know what I mean? So, so come down at like seven o'clock, uh, sit down, have a few drinks, have a beautiful uh uh dinner, sit out on the dock, uh, and then go out to the pier uh out back and uh take some pictures down at the end. It's a great spot. Right.

"Cabo" Jim

Um setting is back here, it's it's back on the bay now, isn't it? This time of year.

Jason Jakaitis

Yeah, absolutely. So it's uh it's it's gorgeous back there. Absolutely gorgeous. And keep an eye on our Facebook page because we love to post those beautiful sunsets and stuff that's going on over there. So yeah, just keep an eye on our uh our Facebook page, like, follow it. Um we post all those specials there daily, uh, and then any uh activities that we have coming up, we post on there. You know, tomorrow is gonna be Mullet Fest. Yeah, so we've got mullet fest going on tomorrow. Um yeah, so come down and come down.

"Cabo" Jim

I think some babies were back there the other day.

Jason Jakaitis

Man, I'll tell you, it was crazy. Um, last maybe two to two or three weeks ago, um I was out there uh busting a table and I just

Sunset Tips And A Dolphin Surprise

Jason Jakaitis

heard something splash and I looked out. A dolphin came out of the water, probably like like five or six feet, almost like you would see at full breach, right? The Sea World, right? Yeah, just right at SeaWorld. And he he went about five times, just went boom, boom, like five times. Everybody just immediately heads turned. You know, I've never seen anything like that. You know, I've seen them come just up a little bit and come up for a breath, but this sucker came out of the water like five feet, like five times in a row. Wow, it was a really awesome sight, but of course I was so enthralled in it. I didn't get the camera on it. No, I didn't get the camera, didn't do anything. I was I lived in the moment.

"Cabo" Jim

It stays in your head.

Jason Jakaitis

Definitely would,

Why The Bay Still Wins

Jason Jakaitis

yeah.

"Cabo" Jim

All right, so to wrap things up, I'm gonna hit you with one question. Finish this sentence.

Jason Jakaitis

There is no better place to enjoy slow season on Fort Myers Beach because I mean be because there's because the the streets are clean, they're they're they're they're empty. But why come here, right? Well why why not? I mean it's beautiful. I mean we've got we're you know the only thing that that that I'm kind of disappointed with is that we don't have more places on the beach to to eat and on the bay to enjoy. You know what I mean? There's just there's there's a select few that you can go to, you know, and that's what brings the people here are those beautiful sunsets, you know. Um looks like we're starting to make some steps in the right direction with hopefully getting the pier back and that I think another year they're saying, yep. But I think that'll bring a lot of people back and and and that. So that that's what I'm looking forward to is some some progress made and getting more people down here. Exactly.

"Cabo" Jim

Well, come on out. Uh visit the snug and uh have some fresh fish and tequila.

Jason Jakaitis

Absolutely, and not in that order, maybe tequila and fish.

"Cabo" Jim

Tequila, fish, and then more tequila. More tequila afterwards.

Jason Jakaitis

I love your thinking.

"Cabo" Jim

Oh, Jason, it's been a pleasure. It always is. And we'll see you at the bar

How To Support And Nominate Neighbors

"Cabo" Jim

here soon. All right.

Intro/Close

Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor podcast. No shade, just sunshine, drama-free, positive vibes only. If you loved what you heard, share it with a friend and keep the good vibes going. Until next time, remember to cabo until you wobble in keeping a good neighbor. Also, to nominate your favorite neighbors, local legends, heroes, or local businesses to be on the show. Go to fmbgoodneighbor.com. That's fmbgoodneighbor.com or call 239-427-4100. We want to send out some island loved State Insurance USA, Snug Harbor, Nervous Nellies, and the Alex King Group. They're the good neighbors and businesses that allow us to cheer the soul of our community with every listener. Here's to celebrating all that makes Fort Myers Beach, the slice of paradise we all love.