UPDATED Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021 at 12:09 p.m. – ANNA MARIA – Bortell’s Lounge is scheduled to reopen at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 25.
“We’re super excited to be back and we’re looking forward to seeing everybody again. I can’t wait,” owner Steve Rose said.
Rose bought Bortell’s in 2016. He said Bortell’s opened in 1977 and he later purchased it from original owner Bob Bortell’s daughter, Marie Pallela.
“When I bought it, we knew it needed renovation. It got to the point where the roof was falling in and it was time to shut down. Our plan was a nine-month turnaround that turned into three years,” he said.
Located at 10002 Gulf Drive in Anna Maria, Bortell’s Lounge closed for renovations in April 2018. That September, Rose and his wife were seriously injured when the private plane they were traveling in crashed while landing in South Carolina. The renovations were further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were lucky enough to get our concrete and lumber in before the supply chain came to a screeching halt and we couldn’t get things. We had this old wood paneling and we wanted that again, but you can’t get wood paneling anywhere,” Rose said.
“The renovations came out so much better than I anticipated. Steve Titsworth, his daughter Ally Reese and the whole crew at Shoreline Builders came up with a lot of great ideas. They were a great build partner. The bar is about 9 feet bigger and is made out of beams we think came from an old ship and were previously used as the ceiling trusses. We think the wood came from a prohibition ship that cracked up on Passage Key and was taken to Cortez,” Rose said.
“We put the bar back in the same spot. We rearranged it a little bit, but my goal is to keep it similar,” Rose said.
“We’ve got the old Budweiser Clydesdale carousel light that used to hang over the pool tables,” Rose said, noting the interior décor still includes several other keepsakes, pieces of memorabilia and photos that accumulated over the years.
“Fishing’s a big deal for me, so I added a bunch of my fishing stuff and some other things I’ve picked up over the years. We’ve got a bunch of regulars and locals and we’re hoping they can help us add more local memorabilia,” Rose said.
In addition to the 24-seat bar, a 13-seat drink rail has been installed along the front windows that face Gulf Drive. Additional chairs and tables provide a total of 62 seats.
A section of the wall near the back door features a photo of the late George Wilson Jr. lifting a glass and proposing a toast. Wilson passed away in 2019.
“We’re going to have a memory wall for our friends. Between 2017 and 2019 we lost about 10 regulars. We’re going to do something nice over in that corner,” Rose said.
The women’s restroom has been relocated and both the restrooms have been completely renovated. The renovations also include the installation of a large retail display for Bortell’s shirts, hats and other merchandise.
The bright blue paint that long graced the outside of the Bortell’s building has been replaced with beige paint.
“It was time for a change. The building wasn’t always bright blue. At one time, it was white with reddish trim,” Rose said.
Bar offerings
Bortell’s remains a full liquor bar, with package sales too.
“We’ve added more draft beers. We used to only have Bud and Bud Light. Now we’ve got the capacity to do 10 different drafts. We put in a real keg cooler, which we never had before,” Rose said.
Rose realizes his clientele may have changed somewhat since he was last open.
“Over the past three years, the Island has gotten significantly busier with the tourism. We are going to see a much larger percent of tourists than we ever had, but that’s the case everywhere on the Island. They’re going to be drinking different things and looking for different things. I’ve got two frozen drink machines going into service. We’re still going to have a decent price for a well drink or a draft beer. We’re also going to have some stuff on the higher end of the scale. We’re going to have both ends of the spectrum.”
New kitchen
Bortell’s Lounge now has a new and significantly larger kitchen that features a six-burner stove, an oven, deep fryers, a grill, a cooler and a freezer. Rose anticipates food service beginning in December, which is when he also plans to host a grand opening celebration.
“There was a kitchen here before, but I never used it. It was used by Helen Bortell. This was her Thanksgiving menu,” Rose said, pointing to an old, framed menu hanging on the wall near the kitchen.
“We’ll have food down the road. We’ve got to hire the right staff and get that in place. We’re going to be a bar that serves food. We designed this kitchen for the bulk of the food to be sold to go, but you’ll also be able to eat here. I’m in the process of hiring someone who’s not an executive chef, but who’s more than a kitchen manager. I want somebody with some creativity. We’re going to do some fun stuff. We’ll be open for lunch and dinner and my plan is to serve food until we close at midnight,” Rose said.
“Our plan is for this to be a community bar. That’s one of the things we love about it. I plan to do a big homestyle Thanksgiving dinner this year like we used to do. Some of the greatest New Year’s Eves I’ve spent were here with the Island people,” Rose said.
“We’re still doing free hots dogs on football Sundays,” he said of that longstanding Bortell’s tradition; and he noted there are several new TVs upon which a variety of sports can be viewed.
Now hiring
Rose will play an active role in the business operations, but longtime Bortell’s bartender Patti Prudente will run the daily operations.
“She’s worked here for 18 years and she’s Bob Bortell’s niece, so it’s still a family affair,” Rose said.
Rose and Prudente are now hiring their new staff.
“We’re looking for bartenders and a kitchen manager/chef-type person. With the kitchen staff, we’re probably a few months away. We’re going to start with the bar. Once we get that up running, we’ll get the kitchen up and running,” Rose said.
When asked which traits he seeks in his bartenders, Rose said, “Experience behind the bar and a great positive attitude.”
He asks those interested in working at Bortell’s to contact him via Facebook Messenger through the Bortell’s Lounge Facebook page.
“We are going to do some limited employee housing. I’ve secured a triplex in Holmes Beach that we’re looking to utilize for staff. It’s no secret that the Island has priced out most people who work in this industry. In order to get them down to this end of the Island, we want to provide some housing here on the Island. It’s a five-minute bike ride from here. If that goes well, I’ll look for some more,” he said.
Welcome back
Rose plans to be open six days a week, from 11 a.m. to midnight.
“We’re going to take Tuesdays off for a while. Everybody needs a day off. The building needs a day off. If the staff needs to go to a doctor, or they have an appointment, or they want to do something together they know they’ll have Tuesday off,” Rose said.
To the regulars who will soon return to Bortell’s, Rose says, “Welcome home.”
To those who’ve never experienced Bortell’s, he says, “It’s an Island bar and everybody’s welcome.”
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