Was a Hallmark movie just filmed on Sanibel and Captiva? Here's what we know
Rumors have been swirling like winter snow (or blowing sand in our case) about a movie being filmed at local restaurants on the islands.
RC Otter’s Island Eats on Captiva and Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille on Sanibel are two of the locations that briefly closed for production earlier this week.
“It was fun for sure,” said Sandy Stilwell Youngquist, the owner of RC Otter’s. “What a great experience. They spent three full days filming. When it comes out I’ll be disappointed if we’re just a snippet.”
The originally scheduled, early morning day shoots quickly changed.
“Captiva is so magical at night and they saw that,” Stilwell Youngquist said. “They filmed all night long, once until 3 a.m. My poor manager stayed with it all the way through.”
Local neighbors and some of RC Otter’s regular customers and staff served as extras as did Stilwell Youngquist.
“It was really fun to see them as extras,” she said. “They sat at tables for hours. I didn’t do that. I was an extra who would be seen walking by.”
Stilwell Youngquist believes the script centers around “a woman who goes on vacation to the Sundial on Captiva then meets and falls in love with our entertainer.”
“They filmed at Bubble Room Emporium one day,” she added. “I think they’re trying to do this as a promotion for the islands. A post-hurricane story is what I think it is.”
The big question is whether or not it’s a Hallmark movie.
“I didn’t see any Hallmark logos or anything,” Stilwell Youngquist said, “so I’m hesitant to say. But it did have a very Hallmark feel to it.”
And she should know.
“Oh my gosh,” she said. “I’m addicted (to Hallmark movies). I’ll turn them on and fall asleep happy. They and I are all about positive energy.”
Shooting at the award-winning, family-friendly restaurant took place on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
A day of filming at Doc Ford's on Sanibel
On Wednesday, production moved to Doc Ford’s on Sanibel.
“We didn’t realize how much buzz it was going to create when we posted we were closing to film a movie,” said Joe Harrity, a partner in HM Restaurant Group, which owns four Doc Ford’s and Dixie Fish Co. “That post blew up.”
Shortly after closing at 2 p.m. Wednesday, the action began in Doc Ford’s upstairs Tarpon room.
“They started setting up by 2 or 2:30,” Harrity said. “There were upwards of 20 people working on it. The whole production was all very Hollywood.”
Filming took place from 4-8 p.m. said Harrity, whose family and staff got to be extras.
Unlike RC Otter’s which didn't cover any of its signs or logos, Doc Ford’s served as a setting.
“The movie had nothing to do with Doc Ford’s,” Harrity said. “It was literally a roof overhead. The restaurant is just a venue in the film. They covered up our logos. We were still happy to help.”
Even Doc Ford’s wildly popular signature Yucatan shrimp did not make an appearance.
“They had staged food for props,” he said.
Harrity didn’t know if it was a Hallmark movie either.
“The production team kept everything pretty tight to the vest,” he said.
Hallmark Channel, owned by Hallmark Cards Inc., is known for its feel-good original movies and annual programming events, including the beloved Countdown to Christmas.
“It could be Hallmark,” Harrity added. “We just don’t know. I honestly don’t know much about it. The idea of filming was just dropped on us a couple of weeks ago.”
He could only vaguely speculate about how the movie could maybe (!), eventually (!!), hopefully (!!!) land with a channel such as Hallmark.
Doc Ford’s and RC Otter’s weren’t the only island restaurants to participate, according to Harrity. MudBugs Cajun Kitchen was also used, he said.
Southwest Florida is no stranger to the movie industry. Numerous films have been shot here — beginning with “Wind Across the Everglades” in Chokoloskee in 1958 to George A. Romero’s 1985 classic “Day of the Dead” in Fort Myers to the early 2000s “Out of Time” and “Hoot” in Boca Grande and “Adaptation” in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.
Soon we can add Sanibel and Captiva to that list.
Now open: 78 new restaurants that opened (or reopened) in 2023 from Cape Coral to Bonita to Captiva
“Hopefully it will show what a beautiful place this is to come and visit,” Stilwell Youngquist said. “I hope people will see it and come here.”
RC Otter’s, 11506 Andy Rosse Lane, Captiva; open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner; indoor and outdoor seating options; (239) 395-1142; rcotterscaptiva.com or follow on Facebook
Doc Ford’s has locations on Sanibel (2500 Island Inn Road) and Fort Myers Beach (708 Fishermans Wharf) and in St. Petersburg — at the pier (610 2nd Ave. NE) and in Jungle Terrace (8790 Bay Pines Blvd.). For more information, go to docfords.com.
Robyn George is a food and dining writer for The Fort Myers News-Press. Send news to rhgeorge@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 'All very Hollywood': Doc Ford's, RC Otter's used as movie locations
