In the Know: Locale Eatery to replace Sweet Caroline's cafe in North Naples
Tim Aten
Sweet Caroline’s closed Dec. 28 after operating for more than two decades in Medical Plaza next to NCH North Naples Hospital campus near the intersection of Goodlette-Frank and Immokalee roads.
The local café and bakery was a popular breakfast and lunch venue. The menu included fresh house-made muffins and pastries, omelets, pancakes, soups, salads and a large selection of classic and hot sandwiches on bread made in-house.
The restaurant’s last owners, Brenda and Scott Mueller, sold the business after operating the restaurant since September 2014. The Muellers succeeded Laura Lenard, who ran the eatery for six years and now owns Sharky’s Pizza in Bonita Springs.
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“Scott and Brenda have retired. We appreciate your loyalty over the years,” reads in part a note posted Jan. 17 on Sweet Caroline’s Facebook page.
“Thank you for the memories,” Brenda Mueller posted on Sweet Caroline’s website.
Locale Eatery is targeted to open next week in the former longtime space of Sweet Caroline’s in North Naples. The business will continue as a café and caterer with everything made from scratch but expect new menus for breakfast, brunch and lunch as well as a fresh look inside.
“It’s breakfast and lunch and we are doing a lot of baked goods,” said Terrence Burney, who will operate Locale Eatery. “We are shooting (to open) for some time mid next week but it’s still up in the air right now.”
Burney is the boyfriend of Chef Heather Lincoln, who operates Trail Café and Grill on U.S. 41 in North Naples. Trail Café and Locale Eatery are both owned by the Lincoln family but the breakfast-lunch dining concepts will not share menus, Lincoln said.
“It’s a different menu. The menu is a little bit smaller,” she said. “The take on the dishes will be completely different as well.”
Menus for the new eatery list a variety of dishes such as Benedicts, breakfast sandwiches, French toast, shrimp and grits, avocado toast, sandwiches, burgers and a create-your-own salad option. The menu also offers some surprises such as a Belgian waffle topped with crispy duck confit, blueberry compote and a side of spicy maple syrup; a grilled cheese with braised short rib, smoked cheddar, grilled onions and a side of au jus; and lobster mac and cheese made with a four-cheese blend.
Following Sweet Caroline’s tradition, expect fresh baked goods such as cinnamon rolls, muffins, cookies, cupcakes, biscuits, croissants and bread. But unlike Caroline’s, the new eatery will serve beer and wine as well as wine-based cocktails.
Locale Eatery, 11121 Health Park Blvd., Suite 300, will be open 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The café seats about 30 inside and 20 outside. For more information call 239-592-1111.
For the latest in local restaurants coming and going, see Tim Aten’s “In the Know” columns archived at naplesnews.com/intheknow, and on Facebook at facebook.com/timaten.intheknow.