Weekday mornings at The Granary, the dining room fills early. A server greets a retired couple by name, then turns to a family with out-of-state plates, guiding them through the menu. En route to Naples, they pulled off on a recommendation or rave Google review. Co-owner Karen Ronney, often greeting guests from the host station, isn’t surprised.
“When you walk into a place and see a lot of locals and regulars,” she says, her Glaswegian accent intact after three decades on the Gulf Coast, “it’s a hint that you’re going to enjoy what’s coming.” The place exudes rustic charm: reclaimed bar, exposed brick, a mural depicting rolling farmland. At the honor-system coffee station up front, scones and brownies nestle under cloches, labeled with mini chalkboards.
The Ronneys—Karen front of house, husband Malcolm on expo—came to Lakewood Ranch by way of a honeymoon. Back home, they owned a hotel and restaurant. Here, they ran MacAllisters, a Scottish restaurant on bustling Main Street, before moving to a strip mall six miles north. Ten plus years ago, “everyone thought we were crazy,” Karen says. “I have to give my husband credit.” The surrounding market has tripled, even quadrupled. “He’s a smart guy.”…