VENICE, Fla. — Over a month after Hurricane Ian, there is a sense of normalcy for one restaurant in Sarasota County.
Tarpon Point Grill and Marina closed their doors due to damage after the hurricane.
They're now back open and ready to serve the community.
"We’re outside seating only, but it has still been relatively busy," Assistant General Manager Sierra Coutere said.
10 Tampa Bay was at the restaurant about a week after Hurricane Ian hit.
The restaurant was closed due to the amount of damage to the outside of the restaurant. The restaurant is on the water and their outdoor seating is a big part of why people decide to dine there.
"We just put in these tiki huts and to come back and see them all destroyed was heartbreaking," Coutere explained.
As the storm rolled in the restaurant still had power. Coutere had access to the cameras and watched as all her hard work was demolished.
"You could see the glass patio lifting off and the roof is still down the river down there," Coutere stated.
Despite the devastation, managers worked to rebuild the restaurant.
"We decided to just go ahead and do the whole restaurant," Coutere explained.
The inside is closed as they are doing renovations. Coutere said the goal is to make the restaurant better than before.
A large sign many see as they drive by the restaurant was knocked down in the hurricane. They plan to replace the sign to put them back on the map.
As they make more changes, their doors are open to outside seating. They hope to have the inside reopened in four to six weeks.
They hope the community will support them as they make positive progress. "We’re excited to be back and we’re going to keep it rolling," Coutere said.