Lakeland 'institution' Texas Cattle Co. reopens Thursday, less than 7 weeks after fire

Sara-Megan Walsh, The Ledger
·4 min read
Texas Cattle Co., a 50-year-old institution near Lakeland's Lake Mirror, is repaired and ready to reopen, less than seven weeks after a Feb. 6 fire caused extensive damage.
Texas Cattle Co., a 50-year-old institution near Lakeland's Lake Mirror, is repaired and ready to reopen, less than seven weeks after a Feb. 6 fire caused extensive damage.

LAKELAND — Lakeland's Texas Cattle Co. is reopening its doors Thursday, less than seven weeks after a fire did extensive damage to the 50-year-old steakhouse.

Clark Woodsby, senior vice president of Talk of the Town Restaurant Group, which owns the restaurant, was on site Thursday afternoon overseeing last-minute preparations for the grand reopening. Workers were putting a fresh coat of paint on the patio overlooking Lake Mirror and touching up the landscaping.

"We've been here 50 years, and we want to be here another 50 years," Woodsby said. "We're an institution in this town, institutions by definition stick around."

In the early morning hours of Feb. 6, a fire started in the kitchen of the Texas Cattle Co. while the restaurant was closed. The cause of the blaze was never positively identified but thought to be an ember from a fire pit used to smoke meat.

PreviouslyFire at Texas Cattle Company causes extensive damage

Here's what's new at Sun 'n FunFrom improved night life and shows, to a touch of The Islands

Fugitive scammerLakeland, Bartow duped into offering proclamations for fake Hindu nation

Woodsby said it's thought that the ember landed against a wooden wall in the kitchen. On the other side was where the building's gas main came out of the building. The gas main caught fire. The same area is also used to store the business' propane tanks used for the patio heaters, which also went up in flames.

The blaze extensively damaged the kitchen and fire pit, where the steaks are cooked, and caused minor damage to the men's restrooms and manager's office, Woodsby said. There were no injuries.

Clark Woodsby, senior vice president of Talk of the Town Restaurant Group, which owns Texas Cattle Co., said the restaurant's roughly 90 employees were spread out to work at the family's other restaurants during the closure. "Our top priority was keeping everyone employed, and we've been able to do that."
Clark Woodsby, senior vice president of Talk of the Town Restaurant Group, which owns Texas Cattle Co., said the restaurant's roughly 90 employees were spread out to work at the family's other restaurants during the closure. "Our top priority was keeping everyone employed, and we've been able to do that."

"There was no part of the restaurant that was spared from the smoke," he said.

Within five hours of the fire, Woodsby said the restaurant's ownership and staff was allowed into the building by city fire marshals to survey the damage. Dumpsters were set up and staff began hauling away anything damaged.

The restaurant closed Feb. 7, a week ahead of Valentine's Day — its single busiest night of the year, Woodsby said. February is usually Texas Cattle Co.'s best month from a revenue standpoint, between the holiday and snowbirds still in town.

Woodsby said the restaurant's insurance company estimated it would take 12 months to repair the fire damage to the 70-year-old structure. He did not have a total cost on the damages, only guessing it's "easily in the hundreds of thousands."

"Our top priority was keeping everyone employed, and we've been able to do that," he said.

Texas Cattle Co.'s roughly 90 employees were spread out to work at the family's neighboring restaurants: Charley's Steak House in Tampa and Kissimmee, and Vito's Chop House in Orlando, Woodsby said. While there, employees were cross-trained on new systems and techniques to bring back to Lakeland.

"They are coming back with more knowledge than they've ever had and more pride in what they have here," he said.

In a lesson learned during the COVID pandemic, Woodsby said Texas Cattle Co. hosted a number of steak sales off Lake Mirror and at Lakeland's Downtown Farmers Market to help provide cash flow and pay its employees.

Woodsby said the relatively dry weather in February and March allowed the company to really speed through renovations, allowing extensive roof repairs without delays. The gas main has been rerouted away from the fire pit and fortified for protection, propane tanks are now being stored outside the building.

Diners are not likely to notice any major differences in the restaurant other than new carpeting and flooring, Woodsby said. The stereo system has been upgraded to current standards.

"I think if it had been five minutes longer before the fire department arrived we wouldn't have been open until 12 months afterward," he said. "We would have lost electrical panels, things that take eight months to order now-a-days, and we would have been at the mercy of the supply chain."

Clark Woodsby said the restaurant's insurer estimated it would take 12 months to reopen. But he was able to get much of the replacement equipment he needed locally and avoid major supply-chain issues.
Clark Woodsby said the restaurant's insurer estimated it would take 12 months to reopen. But he was able to get much of the replacement equipment he needed locally and avoid major supply-chain issues.

Woodsby said he was grateful for several Lakeland supply companies who largely had the industrial kitchen equipment and parts needed to refurbish the business in stock. There's a few adaptations, but Texas Cattle will make it work.

The restaurant will be honoring its famous "free birthday dinner" for guests whose birthdays fall between Feb. 6 and March 22, Woodsby said. Individuals have until the end of April to claim their birthday dinner, after which Texas Cattle Co. will return to honoring the offer for individuals on the day of their birthday with valid identification.

Texas Cattle Co. received more than 70 calls for reservations within an hour of announcing its reopening on Facebook, said Woodsby, who hopes its a sign that patrons are eager to return.

"If that keeps going, we're looking at a major honeymoon," he said.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Texas Cattle Co. in Lakeland ready to rise from the ashes of Feb. fire