Ed's Tavern has leased the former Chili's building at 4131 S. Tamiami Trail and plans to open in 2027, according to the Business Observer.

A sign posted outside the bauilding on US-41 announces the new tenant. The freestanding structure is more than 6,000 square feet. The Chili's Grill & Bar at that address closed in 2025, leaving the space vacant on a busy commercial stretch south of Bee Ridge Road.

The Sarasota restaurant will be Ed's Tavern's fifth announced location, joining three open Manatee County spots and a West Bradenton restaurant also in the works. Co-owners Albert Myara, his son Adam Myara, and Bob Bender currently operate locations on Lakewood Ranch Main Street, on State Road 64, and in Parrish. A staff member at the Rodeo Drive location in Lakewood Ranch confirmed to the Business Observer on Monday, August 3, that the Sarasota restaurant would open next year.

The trio bought the original Ed's Tavern on Lakewood Ranch Main Street in 2014 from founder John Breiner, who opened it in 2009. They have expanded steadily since, opening a second Lakewood Ranch location on State Road 64 in January 2024.

"Many of our existing customers come from this area, and we are genuinely thrilled to be closer to them," Bender said in January 2024, when the SR-64 location opened. The chain's existing customer base extends into Sarasota County, according to Bender's earlier remarks.

Ed's Tavern is built around banks of TV screens for sports viewing, a full bar with daily happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., and a menu spanning wings, burgers, flatbreads, and entrees.

The building at 4131 S. Tamiami Trail is owned by C Plaza of Sarasota Ltd., with Milford Inganamort listed as the LLC's registered agent in Florida Division of Corporations records. The surrounding plaza sold in April 2025 for $8.9 million to a Brooklyn, New York-based investor, according to the Business Observer. The property sits near the Bath + Racquet Residences & Club development.