‘Focus on wellness.’ New Lakewood Ranch restaurant will be chain’s first Florida store
A new health-focused restaurant is coming to Lakewood Ranch.
Flower Child is planning to open its fast-casual restaurant at 6532 University Parkway in May, according to a news release.
The 3,500-square-foot restaurant is part of Phoenix-based Fox Restaurant Concepts, with 40 locations in 14 states. The Lakewood Ranch location marks the first Flower Child in Florida.
“We’ve been looking for the right opportunity to bring Flower Child to Florida, and Sarasota is the perfect place to introduce one of our most popular restaurant concepts,” Flower Child founder Sam Fox said in the news release. “With its focus on wellness, active living, and a strong sense of community, we can’t wait to be part of this incredible city and provide a space where people can gather and enjoy wholesome, flavorful meals.”
Flower Child features a made-from-scratch menu catering to dietary preferences such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and paleo.
Favorite dishes include the Mother Earth bowl, gluten-free Mac and Cheese and the Flying Avocado wrap.
Protein options of chicken, steak, salmon, shrimp or tofu can be added to bowls and salads, or chosen as a main item with a choice of two sides.
Fox, who is an 11-time James Beard Award-nominated restaurateur, opened his first restaurant in Arizona in the 1990s. He created more than 20 brands to date, including Flower Child. Fox sold Flower Child, along with North Italia, to the Cheesecake Factory for $308 million in 2019, Forbes reported.
Now the restaurant, with its “healthy food for a happy world,” tagline is less than two months from opening its first Florida restaurant in Lakewood Ranch.
For more information about Flower Child and to view the restaurant’s full menu, visit www.IAmAFlowerChild.com.
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
