Island restaurants to take part in Sizzle Dining
An annual food extravaganza sees a record number of participants for its 2024 event, with proceeds benefiting a local non-profit that addresses child hunger.
Sizzle Dining runs from Sept. 5-25 and gives participants the chance to sample Southwest Florida flavors and delectable cuisines. This year, foodies will have the opportunity to dine at 114 restaurants — including 38 first-timers — throughout the month, for less.
Sizzle Dining features a set-price menu at $19 or $29 for two-course lunches, and $29, $39 or $49 for three-course dinners. New this year is the addition of specialty brunches and cooking demos with local chefs.
The charity-driven promotion gives residents the experience of new restaurants, hidden gems to be discovered and established favorites around Babcock Ranch, Boca Grande, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Captiva, Fort Myers, Immokalee, Isles of Capri, Marco Island, Naples and Sanibel. Each participating location will offer special Sizzle Dining menus, so customers can try different types of food that may normally be outside their comfort zone price-wise.
“We’re really excited to bring this back again,” founder Guy Clarke. “September is traditionally the slowest month of the year for the restaurant industry in Southwest Florida, offering an opportune time for patrons to experience Southwest Florida’s vibrant culinary scene with special pricing and without long wait times.”
“With the record-setting number of restaurants, we want to make sure they feel the impact,” he added. “Restaurants bring on extra staff which is extra cost, bring in additional food they might not normally have on their menus as they’re trying to be different and add some exciting dishes they normally don’t have.”
Created to cater to every type of palate and diner, options range from small, independently owned specialty restaurants to high-end dining establishments. Sizzle Dining provides customers with the opportunity to discover and try new things, while restaurants get to showcase their best menu items. The menu is what tends to be the deciding factor when customers are choosing what restaurants they want to visit.
Deciding what the menu will feature is not always easy for participating restaurants. Factors to consider include staying within budget, adjusting portion-size and keeping true to the brand of the establishment.
“There’s two main reasons, the obvious being it’s a discount,” Clarke said as for why local foodies should take advantage, other than the charitable factor. “You’re saving a few bucks. You’re getting to eat at amazing places for a discount which you normally wouldn’t be able to do.
“But when you dig just a little bit deeper, and you look at the bigger picture of what the event does, when the restaurants are busier, the dishwasher makes a little bit more money. The servers make a little bit more money. The support staff makes a little bit more money. The linen company that provides the linens makes a little bit more money. The food companies, the local farmers, the little guys make a little extra,” he said. “And that’s the part that gives me goosebumps is when you see how it impacts our community. This goes deep and really makes a difference locally. There’s a chain reaction. There’s no tourism going on now. These are mostly privately owned restaurants. The staff of these establishments live here. You want to really help your community? By going out and eating, you’re hitting all of these layers. I had a server tell me one year that Sizzle helped her give her kids a better Christmas.”
For every lunch or dinner meal purchased during the three-week event, each restaurant donates $1 directly to Blessings in a Backpack of Southwest Florida, the local chapter of a national nonprofit charity that feeds 7,500 food-insecure elementary-aged students every weekend in Lee and Collier counties during the school year. Over the last three years, Sizzle has raised more than $91,000 for Blessings in a Backpack, including $48,000 last year.
“I remember growing up without a lot of money and in a rough place,” Clarke said. “I remember coming home and there not being a lot in the fridge. Food wasn’t a pleasurable thing, it was a necessity. I think that’s kind of what got me into the culinary world. Because we didn’t have a lot of food, I wanted it. And it really matters to me.”
“In 2020, I brought Blessings on full-time, because it resonates with me. I remember coming home and not having food in the house. When I saw what Blessings was doing … it just hit home,” he added. “There should be zero hunger here in Collier and Lee Counties. It’s pathetic that not more people help the problem here. I challenge everyone to feed a child for a year. Actions speak louder than words. It shouldn’t be happening here. It’s $150 to feed a child for a year.”
Blessings in a Backpack Executive Director Cecilia St. Arnold expressed gratitude for Sizzle Dining.
“Not only does it share our mission with hundreds of diners, but it is also a unique and wonderful way to spread our mission. By having people go out to eat, they are also ensuring that each dollar from each meal will help us feed hundreds of local children’s weekend meals,” she said. “Events like the Sizzle Dining not only raise awareness, but also provide crucial support for our mission. It’s wonderful how community engagement can directly impact such a meaningful cause.”
Four island restaurants are participating in Sizzle Dining. Tutti Pazzi Italian Kitchen on Sanibel, and Cantina Captiva, RC Otter’s Island Eats and Sunshine Seafood Cafe and Wine Bar on Captiva.
Limited one-day special brunch events from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. include (tickets required):
– Sept. 7: M’Xuma Tacos Mexican Grill in Babcock Ranch
– Sept. 8: The 239 Naples in Naples
– Sept. 14: NextDoor in Cape Coral
– Sept. 15: Del Mar in Naples
– Sept. 21: Beacon Social Drinkery in Fort Myers
– Sept. 22: La Fontanella in Bonita Springs
Special private interactive chef events from noon to 2 p.m. include (tickets required):
– Sept. 6: Old Vines Naples at Mercato with Chef Brooke Kravetz
– Sept. 10: Hyde N Chic in Naples with Chef Andy Hyde
– Sept. 13: La Fontanella Ristorante in Bonita Springs with Chef Daniel Hoyle
– Sept. 18: Bicyclette Cookshop in Naples with Chef Kayla Pfeiffer
“We’re trying to make Sizzle more than lunches and dinners,” Clarke said. “We want to make September a real foodie-type of month with a lot happening within the food community, and it starts this year.”
Sizzle Dining was founded in Naples in 2016 by Clarke, who also is the creator of BaconFest Naples along with his wife, Erin Clarke, a culinary school-trained chef and restaurant management consultant. The promotional event originally launched with 26 restaurants as dinner only.
To see the list of the 114 participating restaurants (menus are added daily) and to purchase tickets for special events, visit www.sizzledining.com and make reservations directly with each restaurant.
For more information on Blessings in a Backpack, visit swfl.blessingsinabackpack.org.
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SIZZLE DINING ON ISLANDS
– Cantina Captiva, 14970 Captiva Drive, Captiva
– RC Otter’s Island Eats, 11506 Andy Rosse Lane, Captiva
– Sunshine Seafood Cafe and Wine Bar, 11508 Andy Rosse Lane, Captiva
– Tutti Pazzi Italian Kitchen, 1200 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel
To reach CJ HADDAD / cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com, please email