Former Ruby Tuesday near Fort Myers hospitals sells for $2.2M

Lee Memorial Hospital Inc. has purchased a former Ruby Tuesday restaurant near Fort Myers’ HealthPark medical campus for $2.2 million, according to commercial real estate brokerage LQ Commercial Group.

The 5,398-square-foot building at 9001 Park Royal Drive in Fort Myers sold for approximately $408 per square foot, the company says. The seller is Ruby Tuesday Hobart Exchange LLC, represented by LQ Senior Associate Bob Pekol.

"Freestanding second-generation restaurants in a location like this are rare, and the market responded fast," Pekol says in the release. "Interest from multiple groups is what moved it from listing to contract so quickly."

The property sits at the entrance to the commercial campus that houses HealthPark Medical Center and Golisano Children’s Hospital, the release says. How the hospital plans to use the former restaurant was not disclosed in the sale announcement.

The adjacent hospitals are part of Lee Health, a private nonprofit health system that serves Southwest Florida. HealthPark Medical Center is the primary location for the system’s cardiac program and also provides obstetric and gynecological care, its website says. Golisano Children’s Hospital operates a 135-bed pediatric hospital whose seven-story facility opened in 2017, according to Lee Health.

The restaurant property went from initial listing to pending contract in less than two months, attracting interest from multiple prospective buyers, according to LQ. About 37,000 vehicles pass the site daily, the brokerage says.

LQ Commercial Group, formerly LandQwest Commercial, handles sales, leasing and property management throughout Florida. Established in 2004, the firm manages more than 3 million square feet of property, handles more than 300 active listings, represents more than 100 national tenants, and has shaped over $4 billion in commercial real estate transactions, according to its website.