- January 18, 2025
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The Toasted Yolk Cafe opened its second location in Sarasota County on Monday. The latest addition to the breakfast-and-lunch company’s portfolio is in Center Point at Waterside in Lakewood Ranch.
Omelets, pancakes, shrimp and grits, avocado toast, and donuts are among the items on the breakfast menu, while soups, salads and sandwiches are available for those seeking lunch fare. A full bar provides a selection of wine, beer and cocktails such as mimosas.
Since the restaurant opened, owner Kelly Milton said she's already seeing familiar faces coming back to eat each day.
That's the kind of feedback that assures Milton that the decision two years ago to open in Center Point was a good one.
Milton and her husband, Chris Milton, have opened Toasted Yolk Cafes in both Sarasota and Bradenton, but the Center Point development bogged down with construction a bit following COVID-19.
"This is a great area," Kelly Milton said, as her customers poured through the front door. "We love all the shopping and restaurants that are available here."
Kelly and Chris, who live in Houston and also have a home in the Rosemary District of Sarasota, have sold franchises to 44 Toasted Yolk Cafes nationwide, but they bought the Lakewood Ranch franchise themselves.
"We love that we share this space with Tommy Bahama (an adjacent bar and restaurant) because people can start happy with us and end with them," Kelly Milton said.
Although it has been chilly this week, Toasted Yolk soon will be making use of a very large outdoor patio seating area.
"We make everything fresh daily," Kelly Milton said.
The Miltons came up with the idea for Toasted Yolk because they both like to eat and drink, "And we wanted to do something fun."
She said the restaurant is not just a place with "chickens on the wall." The bright green colors give a sense of fun and energy for those coming through the doors.
"We wanted something fun and upbeat," she said.
The marquee food item is the Toasted Yolk, of course, which she said is like eggs in a basket where a slice of sourdough toast has its center cut out and eggs are added there to the customer's liking. Chris Milton's favorite is a Rueben sandwich so that is a main feature on the lunch menu. Pastrami is sliced fresh at the restaurant.
On Thursday and Friday, the Toasted Yolk Cafe donated 10% of its sales to the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund.
"Every opening we do, we involve a local nonprofit," Kelly Milton said. "We like them because they are so involved with giving back to to different aspects of the community."
To grow brand recognition and build a strong team of employees, the Miltons are planning to have five to 10 Toasted Yolk locations in the area, they told the Business Observer, a sister publication, last year.
Currently, there are 43 Toasted Yolk locations throughout the South, with more than 14 restaurants being developed in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Arizona.
