Locals gather at Jersey’s Sports Cafe for football season
Pro football kicks off this week, and many locals will head to Jersey’s Sports Cafe in North Fort Myers to watch the games.
The bar and restaurant is lined with numerous TV’s – all carrying different games whenever they are on.
The owners are Scott Marchetti and Bert Furtado, who are self-proclaimed sports fans who enjoy combining their love of sports with their business.
“We’re both huge sports fans and enjoy talking to our customers about the games,” Marchetti said. “One of us is usually here most of the time. We’re both very interested in sports.”
Furtado said North Fort Myers is particularly a fun sports town because people that move here are from all over.
“That’s a good thing – everyone is from somewhere else and everyone is watching something else – that’s the fun thing about living in Florida,” Furtado.
He said that every week they get at least a few people from every team.
“Even the Lions,” added Marchetti.
A great deal of local fans are for the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, Furtado noted, not being able to resist his own prediction for the upcoming season.
“The Patriots will win every game including the Super bowl.”
He did add that he is a Giant’s fan – growing up in northeastern Pennsylvania, in a town which is closer to New York than Philadelphia.
They mark all the TV’ with the names of the games to be broadcast so fans will know where to sit and view, he said. Steelers fans usually congregate in a back room.
What will be the hot topic of the coming season?
“The return of Tom Brady and Brett Favre. That [Favre] is kind of a circus but will have more people watching the Vikings,” Furtado said.
He added that customers like to socialize each season and like seeing the same faces.
“People come to have a good time, not only to eat and watch the games,” he said.
The two met working at a downtown Fort Myers restaurant and have been in business in the area for the last five years.
The cafe is located at 13971 N Cleveland Ave., # 1, and is open Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight.
For information, call 995-2900 and to view the Web site go to jerseyssportscafe.com.