Charley's Steak House is planning a 14,000-square-foot restaurant in Lakewood Ranch, marking its first foray into the Sarasota-Manatee market and its fourth location in Florida. The proposed site sits at 6120 Exchange Way, east of Interstate 75 and north of University Parkway, near Lakewood Ranch Town Center.
The project, described per development documents, would land the steakhouse close to Market Square, where Publix, First Watch and other businesses already serve surrounding neighborhoods, according to Tampa Bay Business and Wealth. Lakewood Ranch development plans also include space for a possible 4,000-square-foot bank, though no bank has been identified for that spot. No construction schedule, opening date or expected investment has been announced for the Lakewood Ranch restaurant.
Why Lakewood Ranch Is Drawing Attention
Lakewood Ranch has more than 80,000 residents and a median household income of approximately $116,000, per Schroeder-Manatee Ranch figures cited in the development documents. The community's home-sales momentum has also caught the eye of national researchers, though the exact figures diverge depending on the source: the seed facts put first-half 2026 new-home sales at 1,035, while RCLCO Real Estate Consulting reports 1,064 sales through mid-year 2026, enough to rank Lakewood Ranch as the top-selling multigenerational community in the country.
RCLCO's broader mid-year report found sales among its top 50 ranked master-planned communities rose roughly 2.9% year over year, a sharp contrast to the national new-home market, which fell 5.6% year over year in June 2026. Florida communities made up approximately 44% of all sales among RCLCO's ranked developments during that stretch, underscoring the kind of growth pattern that would put a project like Charley's on a restaurant group's radar.
What's Already on the Menu
Charley's steaks are cooked over custom-built 1,200-degree pits fueled by Florida citrus wood and oak, and the restaurant ages its beef on-site for four to six weeks, according to the development documents. The chain's menu runs from an 8-ounce filet mignon at $63 up to a 50-ounce porterhouse priced at $155.
Charley's currently operates locations in Tampa, Orlando and Celebration. The chain traces back to 1968, when Charley Woodsby partnered with William Darden to open the first Red Lobster in Lakeland. Woodsby and his son Ron went on to establish Talk of the Town in 1974, a company that went on to develop Charley's, Texas Cattle Company and FishBones. Orlando-based Talk of the Town Restaurant Group now operates Charley's alongside FishBones, Vito's Chop House and Texas Cattle Co.
A Larger Expansion Already Underway in Tampa
The Lakewood Ranch proposal comes as Talk of the Town pushes ahead with a larger project across the bay. The company is relocating its longtime Tampa steakhouse to a building across from International Plaza that is nearly 30% larger than its current space, growing from about 11,000 square feet to just under 15,000 square feet, according to Tampa Bay Business Journal, which reported the company broke ground on the Westshore site.
The added square footage is meant to accommodate more group dining options, including new dining rooms and additional private dining space, per the restaurant group's own account of the project. Talk of the Town has said its investment in the new Westshore location, including the land, will fall in the eight-figure range. The company expects to wrap up construction in March 2027 and open the new restaurant the following month, while its current Tampa location stays open until the relocation is complete.
No comparable financial or timeline details have been released for the Lakewood Ranch project, which remains in an earlier stage without a confirmed construction start.
