One of Bradenton’s quirkiest restaurants, Linger Lodge has a new owner
First there was COVID-19, then there was a major construction project that closed the Linger Lodge restaurant for more than a year.
In the midst of all that, Rita Lewis, 64, became the new owner of one of the Bradenton area’s oldest and most unusual restaurants.
Lewis is no stranger to Linger Lodge, which was established in 1945 at 7205 85 St. Ct. E., Bradenton. She started work there 14 years ago in the kitchen, became the head chef and then general manager, through several ownership changes.
Mike Bennett, former state senator and the current supervisor of elections, bought the restaurant and RV campground in 2005 with his partner, Marvin Kaplan, from longtime owner Frank Gamsky.
Bennett and Kaplan in turn sold the campground and restaurant in November 2016 to Linger Loft, an Austrian company.
Linger Loft renovated the restaurant, but kept much of the eccentric decor, featuring taxidermy and Americana, and the menu with its gator, frog legs and more mainstream offerings, such as burgers and grouper sandwiches.
The restaurant closed in July 2020 because of a spike in COVID-19 cases, and then stayed closed during the rebuilding of the surrounding RV park, before reopening in August of 2022.
Bradenton’s Linger Lodge has new owner
In March 2022, Lewis quietly became owner of the restaurant, while Linger Loft retained ownership of the spruced-up campground.
Lewis had to recruit a virtually all-new crew after the prolonged closure but says she now has a wonderful team. She said she also upgraded the menu to serve a better quality of food.
Previous owner Frank Gamsky, who used to entertain guests tableside with his magic tricks and jokes, is still a regular at Linger Lodge at age 92.
“I look forward to seeing all of our old and new customers joining us for lunch or dinner,” Lewis said.
Linger Lodge is closed Monday and Tuesday and open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The restaurant has karaoke every Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and live music all day on Sundays.
For more information, visit https://www.lingerlodge.com/ or call 941-755-2757.
This story was originally published May 8, 2023 at 5:50 AM.
