SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — One of Sarasota’s most recognizable late-night eateries may soon be serving its last “Fat Sandy.”

Munchies 420 Café, a more than 20-year hometown classic located in Gulf Gate Estates, is on the brink of shutting down. 

The establishment launched a GoFundMe to raise $50,000 but so far, they have not reached the goal.

In preparation for Hurricane Helene, staff placed tarps on the roof to try to protect the building but high winds from both Hurricane Helene and Milton ripped part of the roof off.

Owner John Kirk said while they have since repaired the physical damage, the financial fallout has been far harder to fix.

“The storms came and really kind of wiped out, not only last fall, but affected tourist season greatly,” Kirk explained. “So, with the expected return we thought we’d get at first, we kind of never materialized, and we’ve been really just funding it and keeping it going ever since.”

That funding, Kirk says, has largely come out of pocket — and it’s becoming unsustainable.

“We were down probably 40% to 45% from where we should have been in revenues now,” he said. “If you talk about dollars and cents, that equates to hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of that tourist season from, let’s say, February through to May.”

Kirk said he and his team purchased Munchies a little over a year and a half ago with a mission to breathe new life into it.

“Our goal was to kind of reestablish it to its great status that it enjoyed through the 2010s,” he said. “It had gone (through) an ownership change, in the late 2010s that had kind of gotten a little tired and hadn’t been reinvested in, so our goal was just to bring it back to what it was.”

Inside the café, 8 On Your Side could feel the emotional weight.

Manager Georgia Cocca spoke with News Channel 8. She was teary eyed while working what could be one of her final shifts.

“We’re sad, we’re sad. We want to save it, and we can’t. We might be able to, but I don’t know,” Cocca said. “The owners of here… they poured like heart, sweat and tears into this place, like, they’ve tried everything.”

For longtime customers like Diane Lewis and Steven Ellsworth, the possibility of closure feels like a personal loss.

“I hope somebody takes over because it’s a great place,” Lewis said.

“It kind of sucks to watch a business go out. You’re in the Gulf Gate, [and] the Gulf Gate’s a great place,” Ellsworth said.

Despite the uncertainty, the staff are doing their best to stay hopeful. Employee Lexy Hawkins says no matter what happens, the team will remain close.

“Hopefully it doesn’t go. And, you know, things can keep rolling,” Hawkins said. “But even if it does, you know, everything happens for a reason. We’re still all like family here, so.”

Kirk is encouraging the community to come out this weekend for what could be their final visit.

He says it might not be the end but that depends entirely on community support.