HOLMES BEACH – If all goes according to plan, Oliver “Oli” Lemke will open The Rod & Reel restaurant in Holmes Beach on Friday, Nov. 21 at 8 a.m.
The Rod & Reel is located at 3246 East Bay Drive in the plaza space previously occupied by The Old Hamburg Schnitzelhaus. The new restaurant will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and beer and wine, operating as an extension of the original Rod & Reel Pier built in Anna Maria in 1947 and destroyed by the 2024 hurricanes.
Lemke owns and operates a brewery and four restaurants in Germany. He bought The Rod & Reel Pier from fellow-German Mario Schoenfelder and closed that sale on Nov. 21, 2023. He opened his first German-based brew pub on Nov. 21, 1999.
WHAT’S OLD IS NEW
The Rod & Reel in Holmes Beach is intended to bring back memories and continue the legacy of the original pier in Anna Maria. The revenues generated at the new restaurant will help fund the hoped-for construction of a new Rod & Reel Pier.
On Nov. 14, Lemke and Manager Adina Vasquez provided The Sun with a tour of the newly-renovated restaurant space that was nearly complete.
“We built it to remind people of the pier. We want people, as they come in, to have the impression as if they were on the pier,” Lemke said.
Painted by the local artist and muralist Chad “Cheeta” Ruis, a large mural covers the dining room wall to the right of the front door. The mural depicts the view of the pier and shoreline previously seen from the far end of the pier.
“If you look to your right, you’re looking toward the gate and the Island,” Lemke said of the mural that includes images of a hammerhead shark, manatees, a pelican flying overhead and people sitting on the pier benches – including now-retired longtime Rod & Reel Pier Manager Dave Cochran.
“He’s still a part of it,” Vasquez said of Cochran’s inclusion in the mural.
“It was really amazing how he did it,” Lemke said of Cheeta’s artwork.
On the opposite wall, four wood-framed video screens will provide a live webcam view of the Tampa Bay – as if you’re sitting in the old restaurant or bar looking out toward the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
“You look out the window and you see the bay,” Lemke said of the intended illusion.
The iconic wooden Rod & Reel Pier sign now hangs above the L-shaped bar and several engraved wooden planks recovered from the onshore debris field hang above the webcam screens.
Vasquez said many Rod & Reel artifacts were recovered by the Ross Built construction crew that already had a job site or two along the North Shore Drive shoreline, just west of the pier.
“They saved a bunch of stuff,” Vasquez said.
Near the front door is the old fishing rod holder that holds fishing rods recovered from the debris field.
A replica of a large hammerhead shark hangs on one wall and a grouper replica hangs on another. While pointing to the grouper, Lemke said grouper will continue to be a fixture of the Rod & Reel Pier menu that’s not expected to change much.
Lemke noted the interior paint colors are the same as the original location and the old restaurant waiting bench sits near the front door. The hallway walls leading to the restrooms are covered with old photos of the pier and the people who visited it during the past several decades.
Surfboard artwork is attached to the swinging doors that lead to the new kitchen that’s stocked with all new equipment.
Lemke said he originally envisioned doing minor renovations to the existing restaurant space but he soon realized a more elaborate renovation was needed.
As Lemke spoke, Bimini Bay Construction employee Tom Mineo applied a coat of clear epoxy resin to the sanded down bar top that will feature embedded photos.
“Tom’s been working hard putting this all together,” Vasquez said. She and Lemke thanked Bimini Bay Construction owner Steve Bergquist for all his help.
Vasquez said many of the previous Rod & Reel Pier servers are returning and she’s still looking to hire some additional kitchen help.
Lemke has an engineering and permitting consultant assisting him with the ongoing permitting process for the intended construction of a new Rod & Reel Pier.
“We’re still working on that permitting process,” he said. “We’re on our way, but our focus right now is getting this up and running. Season’s coming and we want to earn some money to contribute to replacing the pier. We’re going to bring sufficient funds from Germany and we’re talking to some banks too. That’s the plan and we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
“We knew it would take a long time to rebuild. How do we continue the legacy without the pier? How do we keep the community attached? How do we create jobs for the people that were working there?” he said.
The old Rod & Reel Pier bar was a gathering place where the regulars caught up on the local news and gossip while enjoying cold beers – and Lemke hopes that tradition continues.
“It’ll be an attractive place to drink a couple beers and eat good food,” he said. “Come on in. Every meal counts and we’re going have shirts that say that. Help us keep the legacy alive and help us rebuild the pier.”
Tom Mineo, right, applied clear epoxy resin to the bar top. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Chad “Cheeta” Ruis painted the Rod & Reel Pier mural. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Oli Lemke admires the old Rod & Reel Pier photos. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The old waiting bench is going back in service. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
