Steakhouse, grocery chain close to opening at new east Manatee plaza

A new shopping plaza in east Manatee County is ending the year with several new tenant openings. 

The project, developed by Casto, is on the northwest corner of State Road 70 and Crossland Trail in Lakewood Ranch. Tenants include: 

• A 7,300-square-foot AutoZone that opened in August
• A nearly 20,000-square-foot Aldi is under construction and anticipated to open in December
• A 4,200-square-foot Heartland Dental location is expected to open in early 2026.
• An Outback Steakhouse is scheduled to open Nov. 11. 

The Outback is considered the “Joey model” for Tampa-based restaurant giant Bloomin' Brands, Outback's parent entity. At under 5,000 square feet, it’s slightly smaller than other locations. The capacity is 216 diners, split between the bar and 44 tables. 

The restaurant will provide over 100 part-time and full-time jobs to the Lakewood Ranch area, Managing Partner J.B. Wild says. And those employees, Wild adds, will be debuting a new look for the chain as Outback is testing different uniform styles. The Lakewood Ranch location is going retro, with staff wearing the original bushman shirts adorned with Outback pins. 

Once open, the restaurant’s hours will be slightly different than other Outback locations in the area. Lunch will only be served Friday through Sunday. On Monday through Thursday, the restaurant won’t open until 3 p.m. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

However, dinner service has been beefed up with the addition of a few more steaks, including a 15-ounce Delmonico steak, a 12-ounce boneless strip steak and a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye steak.

And 'tis the season to open with the gingerbread martini, which Wild notes has become a staple of the holiday season across all Outback locations. 

“People love it,” he says. “It tastes just like a gingerbread cookie.”

A version of this article originally appeared on sister site YourObserver.com.