In late September 2025, Munchies 420 Café, the legendary Gulf Gate bar and restaurant, closed its doors. In an Oct. 1 written statement to the Siesta Sand, owner John Kirk explained his decision to close the business:

In late September 2025, Munchies 420 Café, the legendary Gulf Gate bar and restaurant, closed its doors. In an Oct. 1 written statement to the Siesta Sand, owner John Kirk explained his decision to close the business:

“It seems there are a lot of people under the misconception that Munchies was a thriving business when we took control in March 2024. The fact is that Munchies failed as a business in the summer of 2023. At that time, the original owners had to resume control from its second owner and kept it operational on a very scaled-down basis until we came along.

We purchased it because we believed in the brand, the menu, and the location. But restoring Munchies to its glory days was a complete rebuild of the brand, the product, and the physical infrastructure. And the plan was on track until we felt the economic impact that the hurricanes had on the 2025 tourist season. Any hospitality business owner in the area will confirm that last winter was not as lucrative as prior tourist seasons. That impact is far greater on a rebuild than it is on a successful, established concept. Unfortunately, the absence of that expected revenue lift left us funding the operation every month, and that was just not sustainable.

Regardless, we truly appreciate the support we received from the local community, our neighbors in Gulf Gate who always offered a helping hand, and the thousands of patrons who stopped by during our last week and were so kind and appreciative of our efforts to try and restore a place they enjoyed many years earlier.”