The doors weren’t supposed to close yet, not like this.

Gibby’s Restaurant was supposed to close next spring and then reopen promptly in a new location, part of a plan that had been taking shape over more than two years. But Wilma struck, the landmark restaurant went dark for seven weeks and the auctioneer arrived on Tuesday to sell off the silverware.

“It was not what we hoped for and not what we planned for,” said owner Steve Hersh.

Located at 2900 NE 12th Terrace, the 600-seat steak and seafood restaurant opened in late 1978. It became one of Broward County’s most popular large eateries, hosting countless birthday parties and anniversary celebrations.

Tom Collette, president of Paralyzed Veterans of Florida, said Gibby’s for years hosted their organization’s membership meetings, opening early and arranging the tables carefully for the many members in wheelchairs. The attention to detail was appreciated, he said, but it was the dining experience that brought them back.

“I’ll tell you one thing: They had good food,” he said.

What brought people in on Tuesday was a chance at another kind of value.

A liquidation company started the three-day process of auctioning off the restaurant’s holdings, with about three dozen people showing up to assess a selection that included pepper mills, high-chairs, skillets, fire extinguishers, and four dusty bottles of Dom Perignon champagne.

Auctioneer Scott Grasso used a portable public address system to sell a painting for $45 and a crate of candles for $10.

Gibby’s suffered substantial damage to its roof and electrical system when the hurricane hit in October, Hersh said. At the time of the storm, Hersh had already been searching for a slightly smaller location.

He considered trying to reopen the existing restaurant, but the expense of repairing the building and its interior, combined with the limited time the restaurant would be open, would have cost him more money than he would have made.

“It made no economic sense,” Hersh said. He doesn’t have any location selected for the new Gibby’s, but was looking for a new space where he could offer about 225 seats while serving a few more walk-in customers.

The closing of Gibby’s will have an impact on the local community. Lillian Brown, of the Gilah Inverrary Chapter of Hadassah, said her organization held events at the restaurant regularly.

“We always go there,” she said. “It’s big, the food is good and you can have private rooms.”

Oakland Park city officials also recognized the role Gibby’s played.

“They’ve been here for 25 years, and they certainly have been a well-known, popular restaurant,” said assistant city manager Pat Himelberger. “The snowbirds, and a lot of other people, came to rely on being able to go to Gibby’s.”

The 3.5 acre site, located along a canal near Dixie Highway and Oakland Park Boulevard, will eventually become home to the Pointe at Middle River, a 102-unit gated community of loft condominiums and townhouses.

The closing of Gibby’s meant many birthdays and anniversaries would be celebrated somewhere else while several groups, like the Paralyzed Veterans of Florida, would need to find a new meeting place.

“They took good care of us veterans,” Collette said, “and we’re going to miss them.”

Kevin Smith can be reached at or 954-572-2009.