No
tables were flipped at a Southwest Florida establishment, despite the appearance of one reality television icon. The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Teresa Giudice was spotted having lunch at
Rumrunners in Cape Coral on Wednesday afternoon, taking photos with staff for social media. "Teresa Giudice from the 'Real Housewives of New Jersey stopped in for lunch today at Rumrunners, on the Waterfront," the restaurant
posted to Facebook , seeing hundreds of reactions and comments.
Who is Teresa Giudice? Why was she in Cape Coral?
For those not familiar with Bravo's expansive franchise or its leading ladies,
Teresa Giudice has starred in New Jersey's version of the show since its 2009 premiere. She is also an author and had appeared on other reality shows, such as Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" in 2005 and E!'s "House of Villains" in 2024. Some might recognize her for the headlines she made in 2013 when Teresa and her then-husband, Joe Giudice,
were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications, and bankruptcy fraud in a 39-count indictment.
Joe and Teresa pleaded guilty to
several counts of fraud in 2014. The reality star served 11 months at the Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut in 2015 and has been open about her experience, telling
ABC News "I did what I had to do and now I'm moving past it." She has since rejoined the cast of RHONJ and authored more bestselling books. Giudice has also grown her popularity, with a recent study by
KingCasinoBonus determining she's the fifth most influential housewife in the entire franchise. As for why she is in Cape Coral, Vacation Home Rental company Sunset Rentals commented, "Teresa was in Cape Coral staying at our vacation rentals. She stayed in our penthouse and we just finished a private dolphin cruise before lunch."
'Super nice to us' Rumrunners, patrons recount Giudice's visit
Rumrunners manager Ann Birtwell told the News-Press about Giudice's visit, saying she was kind to everyone and really enjoyed her time at the restaurant. "Most of the customers realized after a few minutes who she really was … she was gracious, she spoke to everybody," Birtwell said. "She spoke to the entire staff and they came over, everybody asked for a picture. She was so pleasant." Curious about what she ordered? Birtwell said Giudice opted for the Rumrunners salad. Fellow Rumrunner diners also commented on the post about their encounter with the reality star. "I was sitting at the table right next to her, she kept talking about her show. She was very nice," one patron commented, noting they knew who she was since they watch the show. Others expressed their wish to have seen her, complimenting the staff for the pictures they got with Giudice. And a few commenters couldn't help but ask, "did she flip any tables?"
When does the new season of 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' come on?
Season 14 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey premieres on Sunday, May 5 on Bravo at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will stream the next day on Peacock, where previous seasons can also be watched.
