Tommy Bahama Restaurant reopening in new Sarasota location

Tommy Bahama plans to reopen its restaurant on St. Armands Circle this fall in a new location after closing during the 2024 hurricane season. Its new spot will enable it to offer retail on one level and dining on another. The expected opening date is in late September.

The Tommy Bahama Restaurant and store will be at 465 John Ringling Blvd., where Shore used to be before closing in December.

Newly transformed, the space will include a 5,000-square-foot retail shop offering the full Tommy Bahama collection on the ground level, with a 5,000-square-foot restaurant space on the second floor.

The restaurant interior features wood-paneled walls, playful floor tiles and artwork created in-house by the Tommy Bahama art department, in addition to zebrawood tables, retro banquettes and an ochre bar. The eatery can accommodate nearly 200 patrons and will employ close to 150 workers during peak season, according to a statement.

Tommy Bahama Restaurant features an open-air element, with guests entering upstairs on the front patio, most of which is shaded by sailcloth. There is also an expansive back patio, bordered by breezeblock and protected by a convertible roof.

“We thought long and hard about Sarasota itself and wanted it to feel somewhat residential, like a comfortable Florida home — Florida being the birthplace of the brand,” Rob Goldberg, executive vice president of resorts, restaurants and bars for Tommy Bahama, says in the statement.

The first Tommy Bahama Restaurant launched in Naples in 1995. The following year, the rustic bungalow-style Tommy Bahama Restaurant opened at 300 John Ringling Blvd. on St. Armands Circle.

Around 2010, the company decided to expand the restaurant space because of its popularity and moved the retail location to 371 St. Armands Circle. That store will remain open and will be re-merchandised with home decor products like linen and bedding as well as beach apparel and gear, according to a statement.

“We lost some vital energy when we separated our retail and restaurant about 15 years ago,” Tommy Bahama CEO Doug Wood says in a statement. “We’ve been looking for an opportunity to combine the two again and jumped when this space became available."

The company’s signature restaurant-retail concept promotes an “island lifestyle experience” that encourages people to linger and return, the statement says.

Tommy Bahama operates multiple locations in the area, including retail stores at UTC and on Siesta Key as well as the Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar in Lakewood Ranch. The brand has more than 160 Tommy Bahama retail locations worldwide, 27 of which have a restaurant/bar.