A famous Florida steakhouse plans Sarasota-area debut
One of Florida's most famous steakhouses is planning its Sarasota-area debut . Charley's Steak House, which has two popular locations in the Orlando area as well as one in Tampa, plans to bring its renowned wood-fired steaks and upscale setting to Lakewood Ranch. Talk of the Town Restaurant Group, which owns Charley's, filed a site plan with Manatee County on Nov. 6 to build a 14,000-square-foot Charley’s Steak House at 6120 Exchange Way, currently an undeveloped parcel between Exchange Way and Interstate 75. What’s special about Charley’s Steak House? Charley’s Steak House is known for steaks that are flame-grilled at 1,200 degrees on custom-built pits fueled by Florida citrus and oak wood. In 2026, OpenTable named the Tampa restaurant one of the top 100 romantic restaurants in the United States, based on diner reviews and metrics. Charley’s Steak House was named after Talk of the Town Restaurant Group founder Charley Woodsby, who spent 60 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry, according to the company website. In 1968, he and William Darden opened the very first Red Lobster in Lakeland. After two years, they sold the business to General Mills, with Woodsby staying with the company to open 72 restaurants