Manatee County Roadhouse closes

It was a quiet Sunday for Buckaroo Roadhouse, which closed its doors forever after saying farewell to its customers on Saturday night.

The restaurant/bar owned by Misty Elsenheimer took too many hits in 2017 and Elsenheimer said she had no choice but to close.

Eisenheimer lost a week of sales following Hurricane Irma as flooding damaged the establishment. Another big hit came when Schroeder-Manatee Ranch closed the Ancient Oak Gun Club in June. "That was a lot of my lunch business," Elsenheimer said.

Her landlord, Eugene Moore, said it was a shame that Buckaroo Roadhouse had to close and that he hoped someone else might be interested in keeping the establishment open. Moore, who operated Farmer's Inn at the site before leasing it to Elsenheimer, said the 40-acre parcel that Buckaroo Roadhouse occupies is for sale, but it could be on the market for years.

Patrons shed tears on Saturday night as they said goodbye to Elsenheimer, who said she isn't sure if she will go back into the restaurant/tavern business again.

It was the second restaurant/bar to close in the Lakewood Ranch area in less than a week. The Ranch Grill closed its doors on Jan. 9.