The Waterfront Restaurant in Anna Maria Island, Manatee County, United States | Restaurant

The Waterfront Restaurant History
The original cottage dated back to 1922 and was one of the original homes on Anna Maria Island. At that time and for many years later, it was referred to as â??Lorraine Cottageâ? after the daughter of the couple who built the home. The main room of the cottage had walls paneled with wood that came from the inside of an old ship and a fireplace made of stone and brick as you see today. It is interesting to note that the builders used an old wagon wheel as the support when laying the bricks in the unusual circular pattern around the opening of the fireplace.
The cottage remained a seasonal home for many decades, and several additions were made over the course of time and different owners. It wasnâ??t until the 1970â??s that the cottage was converted to commercial use. During the 70â??s the cottage was used as an art gallery. In the early 80â??s it became a popular Restaurant and ice cream parlor known as Candy Caneâ??s and was famous for its player piano. The cottage was then bought by a Polynesian family, who opened Atoâ??s, a popular Polynesian style breakfast and lunch Restaurant. In 1999, the cottage was purchased by an English couple who started The Waterfront Restaurant concept and operated the business for several years. In 2002, The Waterfront Restaurant was purchased by the Suzor family, who continue to operate it today.
Unfortunately, in the early morning of March 18th, 2004, most of the original cottage was destroyed by a fire. Only the original fireplace and back building could be salvaged, but the new building was constructed around them in a manner to best resemble the original cottage, while still meeting current building codes.
After nineteen months, The Waterfront Restaurant finally re-opened in October of 2005 with much of the original management team.
Your hosts Jason and Leah Suzor and the entire Waterfront team are pleased to welcome you and hope you will have a very pleasurable dining experience. If there is anything we can do to make your meal more enjoyable, please do not hesitate to let us know at The Waterfront Restaurant.