MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A popular place on Anna Maria Island is back in business after being closed since Hurricane Helene.

Phil Francisco is the shift lead at Coquina Beach Café in Bradenton Beach.

The Coquina Beach Café reopened last Saturday after being closed for nearly four months due to damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“We did a soft opening a few days ago, and people have been finding out about it here and there. I have a feeling once we start rolling, it’s not going to stop,” he explained.

Seeing customer after customer, it’s as if this place didn’t skip a beat.

“It feels good, you know? After four months of cleaning, drywall tear-outs, removal, and sand shoveling, it feels good being back, serving friends, doing what we like to do here,” he said.

And Francisco says the staff has picked up right where they left off, as well.

“Well, we were lucky enough that not only do we have a second location, so we had a spot that we could go that has been open for a few months. But the family that puts this place on the Enoch’s are amazing people. They literally kept us busy, kept us fed, kept us mindful,” he explained.

All of that hard work shows not just in the appearance, but also in the customer experience.

“I didn’t realize how important these locations were to everybody’s mental state for 25, 30 years. When people didn’t see the café open, they weren’t doing well. The minute that the Gulf Drive location popped open, we had people stopping in from all over the place — people from all over the world, even. It’s like a spot that’s home,” he said.