Never give up, never surrender

Marc Devisse, owner of a Southwest Florida interior remodeling and construction firm, spent several years thinking about how he could diversify his business — in case of a downturn.

Instead of sticking to construction, where his firm, Naples-based Tri-Town Construction, does some $8 million a year in revenue, Devisse followed another dream: He set about opening a restaurant, under the brand Seaside, a moniker and vibe he long thought was a good a fit for the region. And despite having no restaurant ownership experience, Fifth Third Bank, through the SBA, gave Devisse a six-figure loan. With those funds and savings, Devisse invested eight months and $1 million into opening Seaside Bar & Grill in Bonita Springs. “I put every penny I had into this,” he tells Coffee Talk.

Devisse’s investment, and restaurant dreams, ran straight into a roadblock for the ages: the coronavirus pandemic. Seaside’s opening day, it turns out, was March 17 — the same day Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order that shut down restaurants. Although Devisse lamented his timing, a friend, he says, told him “every takeout order you sell is one more sale that stops the bleeding.”