Sharky’s Went Dark This Week. No, It’s Not Closing.

The Venice waterfront favorite was taking a few days off for its annual “Buff & Polish” before reopening today — and there’s a reason restaurants sometimes disappear right before season.

If you drove past Sharky’s On The Pier in Venice this week and thought, “Wait...what happened to Sharky’s?”, you're not alone.

The restaurant is dark. The parking lot is quieter. And if you were hoping for a waterfront dinner, you're going to have to wait a few more days.

But before anyone starts worrying about another local favorite disappearing, there's good news: Sharky’s isn't going anywhere.

The longtime Venice restaurant simply took short break from Sunday, August 23 through Friday, August 28 for what it calls its annual “Buff & Polish.”

It's reopened today.... Saturday, August 29. And honestly, the timing makes sense.

Anyone who's lived in Southwest Florida for a while knows that restaurants here don't exactly follow the same calendar as restaurants everywhere else.

There is summer. Then there is season. And those can feel like two completely different businesses.

During the slower months, a restaurant has something it doesn't always have when the snowbirds return and the dining rooms fill up:

Breathing room.

A short closure gives restaurants an opportunity to tackle maintenance, cleaning and other behind-the-scenes projects without trying to work around a packed dining room and a line of hungry customers.

Sharky’s doesn't provide a detailed list of everything included in this year's “Buff & Polish,” but the restaurant's timing is pretty telling. Late August is right around the time local businesses start looking toward the months ahead.

And Sharky’s doesn't appear to be planning on easing into September. According to the restaurant's official website, live entertainment is already scheduled following the reopening, including Deep Blu on August 29 and additional performances throughout September. In other words, Sharky’s is taking a few days off...

Then it's right back to waterfront dinners, drinks, music and everything else that makes the pier a popular stop for locals and visitors.

When a restaurant you've known forever suddenly puts up a “Closed” sign, it's easy to assume the worst. But in Southwest Florida, a temporary summer closure can mean something very different.

Sometimes the kitchen needs attention. Sometimes the building needs a little love. Sometimes the staff needs a breather. And sometimes a restaurant is simply getting ready for the months when everyone comes back.

So if you were wondering where Sharky’s went this week, now you know. It's not goodbye.

It's more like, “Give us a minute. We're cleaning up.”

This weekend, the view from the pier should be back on the menu.

Have you noticed another local restaurant taking a summer break? Tell us about it.

We want to know which restaurants around Venice, North Port and Port Charlotte are taking a little time off — and what you'd like to know about what happens behind those closed doors.

Because around here, “closed for the summer”

doesn't always mean closed for good.