Bradenton

Southern Barbecue Concept Opening in Bradenton FL

Lazy Goat will serve brisket, rib boxes, smothered chicken, meatloaf dinners, and seasonal cobblers.

Image from Lazy Goat on Facebook

BRADENTON, FL - Lazy Goat is targeting an early March opening at 2001 9th Street West, Bradenton, Florida 34205, owner Candis Haney told Business Debut. The family-owned concept will operate as a to-go focused barbecue restaurant, following two years as a local food truck. Haney said the opening timeline is dependent on final state approvals, with a firm date to be announced.

What to Expect

Lazy Goat will offer scratch-made Southern cuisine, centered on smoked barbecue prepared by pit master Michael Wheeler. “We are doing all scratch recipes from our Southern cuisine to our homemade cobbler slice cakes,” Haney told Business Debut.

The menu will feature brisket, rib boxes, chicken, and trio platters, along with Southern baked beans, smothered chicken, and meatloaf dinners. Seasonal cobblers and house-made desserts will also be available, with plans to introduce cold coffees and breakfast sandwiches in the future.

For now, the business will focus on walk-in, takeout, and delivery service, with seating potentially added at a later date.

Haney described the barbecue as a point of pride for the team. “I’m talking about some of the best barbecue. As far as you can travel, it’s worth every mile,” she told Business Debut.

She highlighted her Southern baked beans and meatloaf as personal staples. “You got to try mine. It’ll make you look at it totally different,” she said of the meatloaf. “I just put my love into everything I do.”

Wheeler, whom Haney called “the man for the plan,” will lead the smoking program. She said he is “a big part of this, probably one of the only ways that the barbecue can meet the table.”

Haney, also owner of Candy Bees Sweet Treats and Cakes and Candy Fields Photography, said catering has helped sustain the business during its transition from food truck to brick-and-mortar. “We absolutely do this to bring our love of food and people together,” she told Business Debut. “Food is a safe place.”

The long-term goal is to move toward a fully farm-to-table model within the next 10 years, continuing to source locally from areas including Plant City and Arcadia.