New Manager at McT's Restaurant

New manager hoping to restore McT's reputation

McT's Shrimp House & Tavern, located at 1523 Periwinkle Way.

It has been nearly a quarter century in the making, but Brian Silveira has finally joined the staff of the first restaurant he ever dined at on the island.

"When I visited Sanibel for the first time back in 1985, I had my first meal here at McT's," said Silveira, who recently was named the manager of McT's Shrimp House & Tavern. "Back then, this and Timbers were the places to go. I want to bring that reputation back to McT's."

According to Silveira, who spent the past 17 years helping run Timbers, McT's had long been a "staple" for local residents and out-of-town tourists looking for a place to find good food, giant portions and reasonable prices.

But in recent years, he said, McT's had drifted from its original mission.

"McT's had seen better days... and will see better days again," he added.

As part of his new plan to restore the restaurant's image, Silveira has helped revamp the dinner menu. Indicating that McT's used to be famous for its many shrimp offerings, their current menu boasts 15 individual dishes - from an all-you-can-eat Old Bay seasoned peel-n-eat variety to Baked Oscar, Beer Battered, Almondine, Sauteed Scampi, Coconut, Zydeco and Say Cheese recipes - featuring the freshest shrimp in Southwest Florida.

Appetizers also include a wide variety of seafood fare, with Oysters Your Way, Clams Casino, fried calamari, sauteed mussels and - for the hearty appetite - the Beach Bucket: peel-n-eat shrimp, three oysters, three clams, mussels and crawfish, steamed hot with Old Bay seasoning.

"McT's Shrimp House & Tavern was known for having big portions and a good value," Silveira said. "Our tavern has a real pub-style menu, with some lighter fare. But our main menu features shrimp, shellfish, Alaskan King Crab, snow crab, Maine lobster... we've got it all."

Although he only joined the staff four weeks ago, Silveira noted that he has high hopes that their revamped menu and additional shrimp offering will bring back some of their longtime customers who may have discarded McT's during the past few years.

"Our portion sizes are larger and our prices are now in line for what they should be," he said. "Now we're like we were in the old days when you saw people with smiles on their faces and bringing lots of leftovers home."

Silveira also said that in the month he's been on staff, several diners have thanked him for making the "much-needed" changes.

"I'm blessed with a motivated staff who wants us to succeed," he added. "We're going to bring back McT's to what it used to be."