Locally based national breakfast, lunch restaurant chain opens new Lakewood Ranch location

Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated ·2 min read

A national breakfast and lunch restaurant chain that's headquartered in Sarasota-Manatee has debuted a new location in its home base.

First Watch is now open at 14475 State Road 70 E. in Lakewood Ranch, celebrating by offering customers who dine in at the new restaurant a free cup of Project Sunrise coffee with their meal through May 10. The restaurant is in the former space of Nancy's Bar-B-Q, which relocated last year to Sarasota's Rosemary District before permanently closing in January.

While First Watch's original location opened in California in 1983, it has been based in Sarasota-Manatee since 1986, with its current corporate headquarters in the University Park area. First Watch already has numerous locations throughout Sarasota-Manatee, including one that opened on Cortez Road West in December, with plans to open a Parrish restaurant at 8990 U.S. 301 N. by the end of 2024 and several other leases in various stages of negotiation, according to a press release.

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“From our Bradenton headquarters, we’ve expanded our brunch occasion to more than 30 restaurants across Florida’s Suncoast,” said First Watch's regional vice president of operations Brian Wynne in a statement. “Our new Bradenton restaurant is but the first of many more to come. We’re looking forward to staying close to this community.”

First Watch's menu features a variety of breakfast and lunch staples including sandwiches, salads, bowls, omelets, frittatas, benedicts, hashes, and griddle dishes such as pancakes, waffles and French toast. It also offers a revolving seasonal menu five times a year, with the Lakewood Ranch location to feature its first seasonal menu in fall 2024.

First Watch, the national restaurant chain based in Sarasota-Manatee that serves breakfast and lunch dishes such as the lemon ricotta pancakes pictured here, has opened a new Lakewood Ranch area location.
First Watch, the national restaurant chain based in Sarasota-Manatee that serves breakfast and lunch dishes such as the lemon ricotta pancakes pictured here, has opened a new Lakewood Ranch area location.

For beverages, First Watch offers juices, cocktails and Project Sunrise coffee, sourced by women coffee farmers based in South America. The 5,560-square-foot Lakewood Ranch location seats more than 200 people, with outdoor dining under a covered patio and a dedicated bar serving juices and cocktails.

First Watch's new location will be open 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily. For more information, call 941-216-6247 or visit firstwatch.com/locations/sr-70-lorraine-rd.

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Locally based restaurant First Watch opens new Lakewood Ranch location

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