Jan NorrisBut restaurant remains open long after October closing date
Oct. 3 update: WPTV reported that Harry MacArthur is planning to keep his restaurant open thanks to an outpouring of support.
Stet News’ Jan Norris called the restaurant, and an employee who declined to give her name said, “As of now, we are not sure.” The restaurant has started a fundraising page that has garnered about $48,000 toward a $100,000 goal.
As of Dec. 3, the restaurant remained open.
The original story follows:
The iconic Hobe Sound tiki bar and restaurant, Harry and the Natives, is closing in mid-October.
Owner Harry MacArthur posted a video of the announcement on Facebook. He said the recovery from COVID never happened at the sprawling casual eatery on the corner of Bridge Road and Federal Highway.
“As of October 12, unless something happens, we will be closing Harry and the Natives.”
He blames the COVID shutdown for killing the business.
“We never came back,” he said. “I’ve put $400,000 of my own money in and we can’t come close to doing it. I’m broke, so we’re at the end.”
His family opened the restaurant 72 years ago as the Farm. It underwent a renovation in 1989 when MacArthur returned home after years working internationally as a chef.
- He took over and gave the restaurant its present name, menu and decor.
- Over the years, the restaurant has been involved in several community activities, and has hosted numerous fundraisers, sponsorships and most notably, a toy drive at Christmas.
In recent years, the bar and grill’s owner has become well known for his upfront political views, supporting conservative candidates, displaying their literature and figural cut-outs to pose with.
MacArthur brushed off suggestions that politics may have played a role in a lagging clientele, saying that he should be able to have an opinion and voice it.
Loyal customers offered to hold fundraisers, but despite support, including that from the area politicos such as Congressman Brian Mast, MacArthur indicated it wouldn’t be enough to save the ailing restaurant.
While it’s a sad time, he said, it’s a happy time, too, “because obviously it’s time for something new because we just haven’t had the customers we had before.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated in October and December after its initial publication.
Jan’s a journalist covering the South Florida dining scene for 30-plus years. (She knows where the bones and onion peels are buried.) She’s a Florida native, remembers the state pre-Disney, and travels frequently to visit family and friends from the Keys to the Panhandle.
