A pair of avid cyclists and Naples residents purchased the longtime Naples Cyclery shop and its adjoining Fit & Fuel Café this week at The Pavilion shopping center in North Naples.
On Monday, Louie Mele and Patrick Wenning became the owners of the 25-year-old bicycle store and the restaurant and bar that opened next to it in 2011 at 819 Vanderbilt Beach Road. Mele, a 40-year veteran of the restaurant industry, formerly was president of McDonald’s Canada and McDonald’s Italy. Wenning owns Minnesota-based Alta Technologies Inc. and is chairman of the board at Tradition Capital Bank, which has locations in Minneapolis and Scottsdale, Arizona, and coming soon to Naples.
“Our goal is to make (Naples Cyclery) the best bike shop in Naples, best in Florida, and then the best in the USA,” Mele said.
Mark Trudeau, who founded Naples Cyclery in 1997, opened the bicycle-themed café and taproom next to it for a combined 7,000 square feet of commercial space on the western end of the shopping center anchored by LA Fitness and Paragon Pavilion cinema on the northwest corner of U.S. 41 North and Vanderbilt Beach Road. In 2018, Trudeau doubled the space of Fit & Fuel Café by expanding into the vacated Subway sandwich shop that separated his two local businesses. The bike shop and café are internally connected by an 8-by-8-foot opening that allows guests to easily patronize both businesses.
Managing partners of the local businesses are Greg and Sue Pelican, who have more than 30 years of combined experience in the bike industry. Greg Pelican, who became general manager in May, has held marketing management positions for Trek Florida, Fuji Film and Kodak. His love for cycling and running has earned him four USA Triathlon national championships. Sue Pelican has managed Trek Naples and is an eight-time USA Triathlon All–American.
The bike shop will be expanding its hours by opening on Sundays beginning this weekend. The café will expand its hours starting Sept 1 with happy hour specials. The businesses will have a relaunch sale during Labor Day weekend, Pelican said.
“Strategically, we are bringing in some new brands, some of the top brands in the world,” he said.
Naples Cyclery features a bike fit studio with dynamic technology that matches riders’ physical and performance data with cycling equipment for ideal riding comfort and experience. Fit & Fuel Café has 18 taps of craft beers, a coffee bar, smoothies and a breakfast-lunch menu of healthier fare such as omelets, salads, sandwiches, tacos and flatbreads.
"cafe" - Google News
August 19, 2022 at 10:57PM
https://ift.tt/HSiJbZs
Naples Cyclery, Fit & Fuel Café under new ownership in North Naples - - Gulfshore Business
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/FgTrfDp
https://ift.tt/4Yi9MZD
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25244079/4.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment