County to sell 63-year-old Chuck's Seafood Restaurant waterfront property in Fort Pierce

Chuck’s Seafood Restaurant isn’t going anywhere.

Owners Georgette and Nicola Angelos, along with their father, Peter, plan to buy the property from St. Lucie County since commissioners decided to sell it in hopes it will remain home to the longtime restaurant.

“The Angelos’ and Chuck’s will never be names that separate from one another,” said Georgette Angelos. “My sister and I will own and operate the restaurant until we retire, and our children will operate it if they so choose to.”

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Chuck and Elodie Tabor opened the restaurant in 1961 using the “Old Florida” recipes they developed in the 1940s for fried shrimp. Peter Angelos took over in 1984 and ran it with his daughters — Georgette, now 33, and Nicola, now 36 — until they became owners when he retired in 2021.

The Angelos sisters added weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. They started selling bags of “Chuck’s Famous Seafood Breading” and Mason jars of “Crazy Nick’s Calypso Sauce,” the restaurant’s house cocktail sauce and house tartar sauce. They also expanded the outdoor seating area and added live music Tuesday through Sunday evenings.

The county has discussed selling the Fort Pierce Inlet-front property for years. Commissioners in March unanimously agreed to do so, and issued a request for proposals. They said they hoped the Angelos family would buy it and maintain the restaurant.

The sale will include the adjacent property, which Angelos said the restaurant needs for parking. She doesn’t know what they will do with the former fire station.

“It just seems like the right time,” said Georgette Angelos. “(My dad, now 70) wants to see the fruits of his labor move on to his children.”

Both sisters grew up in the restaurant. Now, Georgette’s 4-year-old daughter plays hostess, taking customers to their tables, and puts on an apron to help in the kitchen. Nicola is expecting her first child.

“It’s exactly what he always wanted,” said Georgette Angelos. “This is a legacy-driven business.”

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Chuck's Seafood Restaurant to buy St. Lucie County waterfront property