- January 27, 2026
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When Pinchers Crab Shack opened in Bonita Springs in 1997, it had 12 tables and six employees. “I cooked every day, and my dad worked on the floor each day,” says Grant Phelan. “A big day for us back then was $600 in sales. It’s a lot more than that on a big day now.”
That’s because over the last almost 30 years, Phelan Family Brands has grown from one small restaurant to 12 different concepts and 26 locations in Florida, stretching from Tampa to Marco Island. The list includes Pinchers, Deep Lagoon Seafood, Texas Tony’s Rib & Brewhouse and Hogfish Harry’s.
“We were lucky to catch the wave of the growth of Southwest Florida, and to know the right people and be able to put restaurants in great locations,” says Phelan, now CEO of the company. “And there’s still a lot more growth coming to Southwest Florida.”
Phelan Family Brands isn’t done growing either. In October the company opened a new restaurant concept, Caiman Cantina, in the North Naples location once occupied by the company’s Two Fillets steakhouse.
“I consider that location a test kitchen for Phelan Family Brands,” says Phelan, 48. “Two Fillets did what it was supposed to do, but it had a lot of competition in the North Naples market.”
Company founder Tony Phelan (Grant’s dad) owned a Tex-Mex restaurant in Texas before moving to Florida. The family had always wanted to open another Tex-Mex spot, and they spent the last few years developing the concept. Additional Caiman Cantina locations are a definite possibility down the road. “I have my eye on a spot in Fort Myers right now,” says Phelan.
In Cape Coral, Phelan Family Brands is putting the finishing touches on Bimini Basin Seafood and Cocktails, another new concept it hopes to have open by early January 2026. The waterfront restaurant will be located in the Bimini Basin development and have 24 boat slips for diners arriving by the water.
“We took the best menu items from Pinchers, Hogfish Harry’s, and Deep Lagoon and created a new concept called Bimini Basin,” says Phelan. “It’s going to be laid back, relaxed, casual and have a Jimmy Buffett feel to the restaurant.”
Opening new restaurant brands and locations involves everything from menu development and site location to facility buildout, kitchen design and hiring and training staff. “There’s a tremendous amount of planning that has to go in any time you have a new restaurant, but especially a new concept restaurant,” says Phelan. “It’s hard, but it’s also fun. It’s challenging and it makes you excited.”
It's also a constant learning process. “Sometimes when you’re developing a restaurant, you think that people are absolutely going to love it and that you have picked the greatest location and everything is going to work out fantastic, and that isn’t necessarily the case,” says Phelan. “And other times you go into something a bit apprehensive and not really sure of this one, and it turns out to be one of the most successful restaurants you’ve ever done. You listen to what guests have to say — especially when you don’t hit the mark right away — and you adapt.”
After almost three decades in the local restaurant business, the Phelans know the area well and understand the opportunities still out there. “Phelan Family Brands is owned by three people — me, my dad and my mom,” says Phelan. “We love Southwest Florida, and we love the restaurant business.
“And most importantly, we love our teammates,” he continues. “So providing great opportunities for our teammates to work and flourish in is such a reward. And there’s so much growth in Southwest Florida that you can open another restaurant nearby without hurting another one.”
Once Bimini Basin is open, Phelan Family Brands will employ 2,000 people across Southwest Florida. Treating employees well is a major component of the company’s hiring and retention strategy.
“The biggest thing is our word is our bond,” says Phelan. “So if we say we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it…Our roots haven’t changed. We still get up and go to work every single day, just like we did in 1997. And we put every dollar we make back into the company and back into the people we’re so fortunate to work with.”
Each restaurant concept has its own vibe, but they’re all part of the same larger team. The heads of each brand have autonomy, but leaders across the company meet as a group weekly to ensure they’re all on the same page.
“That’s the hardest thing, maintaining that consistency across the entire company,” says Phelan. “When they walk into a Phelan Family Brands restaurant, everybody expects to have a fantastic dining experience…It’s one big umbrella, but they all have their own identity.”
He likes that no matter the lifestyle a diner is looking for or the occasion they’re celebrating, there’s a Phelan Family Brands concept that fits the moment. “For any dining experience, we have a restaurant for them,” he says.
Are more new concepts coming down the road? “It’s always a possibility,” says Phelan. “But for right now, we have our hands full and are having fun and are looking forward to a great 2026 season.”
