FOOD
Cape Coral pizza joint, Estero winery among SW Florida closings
Robyn GeorgeFort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News
July 23, 2026, 5:10 a.m. ET
- Several Southwest Florida restaurants and breweries have recently announced their permanent closures.
- Gino’s Pizza in Cape Coral closed after having three different owners in the last two years.
- Living Vine Organic Café in Fort Myers cited economic challenges but will continue as a food truck.
A July 11 post on Gino’s Pizza’s Facebook page was short and to the point
“We are permanently closed,” it read. “We just wanted to say thank you to our loyal customers for supporting us through our hard times.”
Signed Anthony and Dawn, the Cape Coral pizza shop is the latest Southwest Florida restaurant closure this offseason
Living Vine Organic Café in Fort Myers, RAD Corkscrew Winery (East Corkscrew location) in Estero and Kaleidoscope Beer Co. in Naples have all closed in the last few weeks
Gino’s Pizza
Gino’s on Santa Barbara Boulevard in Cape Coral has closed. Anthony Auliano was the latest owner of this pizza shop, located just south of Veterans Parkway.
It was home to South Cape Mona Lisa Pizzeria for years before Susan and Brad Kemp bought it and renamed it Gino’s in October of 2023. The duo, who served up Midwest-style pies, worked at the original Gino’s Pizza in Akron (est. 1960) for 25 years and owned it for six
Dino Iuliano purchased it from the Kemps in November of 2024 and added New Jersey slices to the menu
Auliano was up next, bringing his South Philly flavor to the shop last summer
At the time, he was the third owner in the last two years
Stay tuned to what’s next at 3108 Santa Barbara Blvd., Unit 109
Living Vine Organic Café
This organic mom & pop café on College Parkway announced its closure
“It is with really heavy hearts that after 7 years we have reached the difficult decision to close our doors on June 30,” the Facebook post read. “After a long and costly forced relocation process, we had very little capital left upon reopening our doors in late February 2025… For the past year, we’ve been waiting for business to pick up, but sadly it never reached the level we needed to stay in business. The economic challenges and constant rising costs have hit us hard, especially with being an all organic café.”
But all is not lost. It’s bringing its smoothies, shakes, bowls, wraps & sandwiches, salads and more on the road in the form of Living Vine Organic Café on Wheels food truck. Follow along on Facebook for a schedule of upcoming stops
RAD Corkscrew Winery
This one-of-a-kind Southwest Florida winery and farm closed 15 months after opening. Owners Rockie and Allison Rick, who bought the property off Corkscrew Road four years ago, wanted to “create a place that you could really relax and enjoy with your friends and family.”
“We thought that was going to look like a winery for years and years to come because that’s what we do up north,” Rockie, who — along with Allison — found success with their wineries in Michigan, saide bit bigger plan, that we didn’t see the whole picture at that time.”
The post continues, saying they sold the property to their church, Summit Church, which had been looking to buy along Corkscrew
“We’re very excited to see what God’s going to do with this property,” Rockie continued in the short video. “We hope it’s still a place you guys want to come check out.”
While June 28 was the final day for the winery, the RAD Tasting Room at Miromar Outlets (10801 Corkscrew Road in Estero) remains open. Follow on Facebook for more
Kaleidoscope Beer Co
A July 14 post announced the sudden closing of this family-owned brewery in Naples
“Saturday (July 18) will be our last day, unless there is someone out there who wants to discuss an opportunity to keep this place alive,” the Facebook post read
Bill Vaughan, along with his wife Heather and sister Amy Vaughan, opened The Scope about two years ago in Riptide Brewing’s Naples taproom at 987 Third Ave
“This is not the future I intended for this place,” the Bill-written post continued. “I want to thank my sister and my wife for supporting me and apologize to them as well. I want to thank all the terrific regulars for supporting the business, I got to know quite a few of you and I truly enjoyed it!”
Bill’s previous stops included head brewing duties at Bone Hook (North Naples) and Big Blue (Cape Coral), and brewmaster at Bury Me (Fort Myers)
“I am officially back on the market and quite enthusiastic about it,” the post concluded. “Hit me up!”
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to The News-Press and Naples Daily News; download the free News-Press or Naples Daily News app, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food & dining and growth & development newsletters here and here
