Follow the snowbirds

When Gary Callicoat was scouting opportunities to open a restaurant in Florida, most people he met in Naples already knew about his Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern.

That's because many seasonal residents from the Midwest spend winters in Southwest Florida. They're already familiar with the Columbus, Ohio-based chain of 15 restaurants.

So Callicoat plans to open his first Rusty Bucket in Florida at the Mercato shops in Naples in May, the first of what could be many more in the state. “No reason I can't build 20 restaurants,” he says. “I'm looking in Tampa, Sarasota and even the east coast,” says Callicoat.

The Rusty Bucket restaurants range in size from 4,500 to 6,500 square feet and can seat as many as 240 people. “Florida is a target market for us,” he says.