Living in Punta Gorda, my wife and I make a weekly trip 18 miles south to 3701 Fowler Street in Fort Myers. It is a 40-minute worthwhile drive to enjoy a wonderful breakfast at Biggy’s Place.
Biggy’s serves breakfast and lunch 7 days a week. Biggy’s is more than exceptional food at a decent price, it’s about the experience and the atmosphere. It’s like going home to mom’s for a delightful and relaxing meal and the whole neighborhood is there.
In this case, "mom" happens to be the owners Bob and Dawn Bigelow. They have adorned their restaurant with yesteryear photos of Fort Myers and they play Turner Movie Classics on the large screen TVs. Saturday mornings the children get to enjoy cartoons. The restaurant is also a tribute to Law enforcement, Firemen, EMT’s and the Military.
In speaking to Bob he said, “they wanted a business that would display their fervent respect and appreciation for the military and first responders.”
Biggy’s mission statement is displayed on the front of the building in red, white and blue.
Bob was raised in Tampa Bay and Fort Myers happens to be Dawn’s hometown. The name Biggy’s came from a twist on Bob’s last name (Bigelow) given to him by his high school classmates. The restaurant is more than just a business to Bob and Dawn, it’s their way of honoring the Fort Myers community.
You can feel and see the hometown spirit and it is not uncommon where a military or first responder’s check is picked up by a “regular.”
The servers are exceptional with no coffee cups going empty and it’s readily apparent the customers are their top focus. They even teach you the proper etiquette of southern cuisine.
For example, on a recent visit I ordered my usual side of grits with maple syrup and our server Danna shook her head and exclaimed “that’s not how you eat grits. I’ll get someone else to bring you the syrup, but I am not going to do it.” I asked “well how do you eat them?”. She answered “butter and a little salt.” She said “try it, if you don’t like it, I’ll bring you a fresh order of grits and you can maple syrup them all you want." Now I eat my grits like a true Southerner without the incredulous looks from other patrons.
So back to Mr. Biggy. That’s how I addressed him the first time we met. I said “are you Mr. Biggy?” and with a smile Bob said, “it depends on who is asking.” I introduced myself as a content writer for the Convention of States and explained our platform to amend the constitution. But before I could get past the “term limits” part, Bob exclaimed “who wouldn’t want that?!” I love it when I get that response. In addition to respect for law and order, Bob is all about accountability.
Like most Americans, he is not happy that Congress rewards themselves with perks above and beyond those of the people they are supposed to be serving. He believes our founding fathers did not intend for politics to be a career.
If you agree with Bob in holding Congress accountable by:
- Imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government,
- Limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and
- Term limits on Congress and federal officials;
then please join him in signing the petition for the Convention of States for Florida or the state you call home.
The next time you find yourself in Fort Myers treat yourself to a wonderful experience and meal at Biggy’s Place. If you want to see a server roll her eyes, order your grits with maple syrup! 😊
