Native resilience
Harry and the Natives restaurant, made of native tidewater pecky cypress, stands in Hobe Sound at the corner of US Highway 1 and Bridge Road. RUSTY DURHAM
Customers help fix the trouble at Harry’s
BY MADELEINE PAPE
The restaurant originally opened as The Cypress Cabins and Restaurant on Dec. 7, 1941. HARRY AND THE NATIVES
As Harry MacArthur, owner of Harry and the Natives bar and grill in Hobe Sound, enters his 60th year in the restaurant industry, his intent remains the same: to make at least one person smile every day. That was the advice his mother Pauline MacArthur gave him — along with the business that she and her husband Jack owned before Harry took over.
After 83 years of steadfast service to the Hobe Sound community, the MacArthur family announced that they would be closing Harry and the Natives in October 2024 — though that’s not what happened. Unwavering public support saved the day.
Back when he shared the news of the planed closure in a Facebook post, Harry MacArthur recalls receiving 250,000 views in under 24 hours. The announcement gained national attention from the talk show Fox & Friends and global recognition from dismayed customers reaching out from Thailand and Portugal.
The overwhelming outpouring of support — and pleading — from customers led MacArthur to launch a GoFundMe, spearheaded by his oldest son Wyatt, with hopes of keeping his family’s legacy and community impact alive.
“All of a sudden, I turned into George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life,” Harry MacArthur said. “You don’t realize that you’re making a difference and that people care about you.”
Through donations, national press and a push from customers to keep the pecky cypress frame of Harry and the Natives packed with business, the bar and grill has survived and continued to be a pillar of Hobe Sound. MacArthur attributes his decision to proceed with Harry and the Natives to “everybody else.”
ROOTED IN HISTORY
Hobe Sound is a quaint town with rich historical ties. Once the fertile land of Native Americans, settlers also found agricultural success by growing pineapples and tomatoes. The town continued to flourish as winter tourists were drawn to the tropical environment.
Harry and the Natives opened as The Cypress Cabins and Restaurant in 1941. World War II had brought Camp Murphy to Hobe Sound — a training facility for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. The restaurant gained traction by serving the soldiers, visitors, and locals. The MacArthur family assumed ownership in 1952. Longtime customers watched Harry grow from a toddler delivering water to the tables to owner of the restaurant in 1989.
“It’s not only your family,” he said. “It increases your family, because you see them more than family.”
Harry and the Natives, famous for its eclectic interior decor, is host to its many regulars who eat there nearly every day. RUSTY DURHAM
MUTUAL SUPPORT
General manager Kandy Fezette stands behind the bar serving customers with a smile. RUSTY DURHAM
Scott Jenkins is one of many community members who belong to the Harry and the Natives family. MacArthur watched Jenkins grow up, visiting the restaurant with his father. Now, Jenkins meets a regular crew at Harry and the Natives for breakfast and lunch nearly every day.
“It’s like a big giant family,” Jenkins said. “He’s always been into the community.”
The MacArthur family’s charitable spirit can be seen through their nonprofit Natives Helping Natives, which focuses on providing local youth with sponsorships, fundraisers and scholarships.
In the early days of the Covid-19 lockdown, MacArthur provided Easter dinners to customers in the Harry and the Natives parking lot — drive-through style. Shortly after, when unemployment benefits were delayed, the restaurant hosted another drive-through meal, supplying nearly 800 dinners.
“We were just trying to show them that we’re all in this together,” MacArthur said. “Nobody likes to feel alone and especially at that time.”
MacArthur and Jenkins both highlighted the challenges local businesses have had in maintaining operations since the pandemic. Harry and the Natives began struggling in 2022 but gained a boost of support after a visit from Fox & Friends. It helped with their recovery and sustained business until last year, when the fear of closure resurfaced.
Harry and the Natives’ closing announcement in October once again caught the attention of Fox & Friends, who returned to Hobe Sound to host their morning show Breakfast with Friends and help rally support to keep the restaurant open.
When Wyatt called upon friends, family and supporters to save the restaurant through the GoFundMe campaign, Fox & Friends posted the donation page to their website, garner-ing national attention and aid. The campaign had raised $49,798 as of January 2025.
Jenkins notices that customers who used to come in weekly, now frequent the restaurant every few days. Local business owners also come by to support MacArthur. That reciprocal support allows him to keep Harry and the Natives viable.
FOUNDATIONAL ROLE
Harry MacArthur works to create a family-friendly atmosphere and a special experience for the Hobe Sound community at Harry and the Natives. HARRY AND THE NATIVES
“We are losing so much history,” MacArthur said. “We need to keep oursolo businesses. It’s just too importantto the area.”
He recognizes a need to change aspects of the restaurant while protecting the traditional character valued by its following. He takes feedback from a small advisory board to help find that balance. Renovations to Harry and the Natives are seen in its interior updates and the streamlining of service for efficiency.
In recent years, Harry and the Natives gained notoriety for their forthright display of political paraphernalia and party affiliation. MacArthur says they have “dialed that back,” while still upholding his belief in taking a stance.
“It’s better if we don’t agree because then we get to see it in different ways,” he said. “We can talk about things. We don’t have to argue about them.”
Looking ahead, MacArthur confirmed ongoing plans for Harry and the Natives to open a location on Lake Okahumpka, near The Villages. His heart, however, will stay in Hobe Sound. “The Treasure Coast is the gold coast,” he said.
MacArthur’s goal for Harry and the Natives is to resume the robust charitable efforts that were lost during the restaurant’s struggling years. The community’s return of care to the restaurant motivates MacArthur to continue making a difference.
“I speak at a lot of funerals and the family is always surprised about how much everybody loved and cared about him or her,” he said. “I got to see it while I’m alive.”