HM Restaurant Group expands Fisherman’s Wharf experience with The Marina at Bonita Fish Company

HM Restaurant Group is elevating the vibrant waterfront experience along Fort Myers Beach’s Fisherman’s Wharf with the debut of The Marina at Bonita Fish Company. The new 30-slip deep-water facility offers quick and direct Gulf access, accommodates vessels up to 100 feet and provides both long- and short-term slip options. It also offers slips for day boaters visiting any of the three HM Restaurant Group restaurants along the wharf.

The company will begin accepting long- and short-term rental reservations and leases starting April 1. The marina offers full water hookups and will introduce power this summer. It does not accept liveaboards. Rates will be available in the coming weeks at bonitafishco.com/marina and the Dockwa app. The marina opens as boaters face limited availability of slips in prime coastal areas, particularly with direct Gulf access.

“The Marina at Bonita Fish Company adds to the character of the wharf and introduces a dynamic component to the ambiance we envision for this lively area,” said Joe Harrity, a partner with HM Restaurant Group which manages Bonita Fish Company and neighboring Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille and Dixie Fish Company. “Customers can boat into our restaurants and enjoy waterfront dining and live entertainment.”

HM Restaurant Group, a 2025 Gulfshore Business Best Place to Work, is transforming Fishermans Wharf into a destination where locals and visitors enjoy fresh seafood, live music and relaxed coastal dining along Matanzas Pass. The company manages Bonita Fish Company, which opened last fall. The restaurant features fresh Gulf seafood, casual bites and cold drinks. It offers music daily, a central bar, breathtaking sunset views and dockside dining along the waterfront. Bonita Fish Company serves brunch Friday through Sunday from a historically old Florida fish-packing house and offers Bayside Private Events, an indoor-outdoor waterfront event venue.

Award-winning Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille is beloved for mouth-watering sauces, spices and fresh seafood featuring Caribbean Rim flavors, including its signature Yucatán shrimp. A local favorite for residents and visitors alike, Doc Ford’s offers four locations, including Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach, Jungle Terrace in St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg Pier. A perennial Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice winner, the pier restaurant was named the No. 1 restaurant in the country on the global travel site’s Best of the Best Restaurants for Everyday Eats in 2023.

Recognized as a 2023 Yelp Top 100 Florida Restaurant and ranked Tripadvisor’s No. 1 restaurant in the Fort Myers area, Dixie Fish Company on Fort Myers Beach is revered for delicious fresh seafood in an ideal location. Its beach ambiance is complemented by live music and picturesque waterfront views of Matanzas Pass. An original Florida fish house, the restaurant’s origins date back to 1937 when it was a fish market.

Bonita Fish Company, Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille and Dixie Fish Company are open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

HM Restaurant Group is known for its philanthropy, supporting local nonprofit organizations dedicated to the environment, conservation, education and community outreach. Founded in 2012, the “Ding” Darling Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament has raised over $1.57 million for conservation and water-quality research at Sanibel’s J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The 14th annual competition is May 15, 2026.

The company’s restaurants have raised $140,309 for Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg through the sale of specialty cocktails.