Texas Roadhouse is finally heading for Sarasota County, with the chain telling partners it is planning its first Venice-area location. Fans can expect the familiar mix of hand-cut steaks, peanut-bucket tables and country line-dancing staff, though details about timing and the exact layout are still under wraps. What is clear so far: the restaurant is slated to be part of a larger commercial project just off Laurel Road.
According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the Louisville-based steakhouse chain plans to open in a mixed-use development near Venice. The outlet reports this would be Texas Roadhouse’s first location in Sarasota County.
Plans for Venice Crossing
A neighborhood meeting and planning documents outline the 83-acre Venice Crossing Commercial Center along Laurel Road, where developers have floated a mix of big-box anchors and restaurants. Attorney Jackson Boone and consultants told a City of Venice planning panel that potential tenants could include Home Depot, Walmart, Whataburger, Chick‑fil‑A, Chipotle and Texas Roadhouse, with parking and traffic among the issues to be reviewed, as reported by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Texas Roadhouse by the numbers
The chain is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky and, according to the SEC, operated 822 restaurants across 49 states, one U.S. territory and ten foreign countries as of March 31, 2026. That wide footprint helps explain why developers often look to Texas Roadhouse as a traffic-driving anchor for new retail projects.
Nearest Roadhouse today
Right now, many Sarasota County diners have to head north to get their fix. The closest Texas Roadhouse is in the Lakewood Ranch/Bradenton area at 5710 Ranch Lake Blvd, per the chain’s locations page. A Venice restaurant would keep more weekend and dinner traffic inside Sarasota County instead of sending those steak cravings over to Manatee.
Next steps
The Venice Crossing project still needs site-plan approvals and a traffic-impact review before any construction can begin. County planners have already approved a traffic signal at Laurel Road and the new internal road, according to the planning meeting, and developers said parking counts and design details will be refined as the project moves through the review process, as detailed by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
The Tampa Bay Business Journal notes that there is still no firm opening date on the calendar. That timeline will depend on approvals, construction and tenant agreements, with local officials, developers and Texas Roadhouse all involved in setting the final schedule.
