“There are some great restaurants in Sarasota that people are always going to go visit and I want to know, ‘How do we become one of those restaurants?’” This is the question that is constantly at the forefront of Drew Adams’ mind. Adams is the chef/owner of Adeline, a New American restaurant in Sarasota that is known for its playful and creative menu. An award-winning chef, Adams first made a name for himself in Washington DC where he worked in Michelin-starred restaurants. Adams is undeniably talented and has an impressive pedigree, but the restaurant industry is harsh and unforgiving—approximately sixty percent of new restaurants fail within their first year. Adams got candid about the unique challenges he continues to navigate as he strives to establish Adeline as a mainstay on the Sarasota dining scene. One of the early obstacles was the name. See, Adeline wasn’t always called Adeline—when the restaurant first opened in March of 2022 it was known as Meliora.
“People were having a very hard time pronouncing Meliora. I’m guessing maybe fifty percent of people couldn’t pronounce it,” Adams says. “We heard the word ‘malaria’ a lot.” Adams originally started the venture with a friend, but that partner left the business in July of 2024. Adams brought in new partners, and they decided the partnership change presented the perfect opportunity for a rebranding. They settled on Adeline, which is also the name of Adams’ daughter. The eatery closed down for two weeks at the end of September for some minor renovations and reopened refreshed and with a new name. But the name isn’t the only identity challenge that Adams has grappled with.
AT NIGHT, LITTLE A TRANSFORMS INTO ADELINE WHERE DINERS CAN ENJOY INVENTIVE YET HEARTFELT DISHES, LIKE GNOCCHI IN PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE WITH A DEHYDRATED BROWN BUTTER CRUNCH.
“We moved here from Washington DC and I think dining is slightly different here,” Adams says. “A lot of people refer to us as high-end or upscale dining when that’s never been the intent. I’ve always thought of Adeline as more casual.”
THE INTERIORS AT ADELINE ARE WARM AND INVITING. ADAMS PAYS ATTENTION TO EVERY DETAIL AT ADELINE AS HE WORKS TO MAKE IT ONE OF SARASOTA’S MOST BELOVED RESTAURANTS. ADELINE/LITTLE A, 1920 HILLVIEW S
That disconnect between the kind of restaurant Adeline is (or aspires to be) and the kind of restaurant diners believe it to be creates its own cascade of complications. Pricing is probably the most critical challenge. High operating costs have always been an issue in the restaurant business and food costs are a significant part of the operating budget. Individuals and families know food costs are currently high because we’ve felt the impact on grocery bills. Restaurants are also seeing higher food costs, which means they have to either raise their menu prices to compensate and risk pricing themselves too high, or keep prices the same and reduce their already slim profit margins. When people perceive a restaurant as fine dining, they typically associate it with higher prices. Adams works hard to keep his prices accessible, but he worries that because people see Adeline as upscale, they’ll assume it’s out of their price range.
“Our biggest challenge is that people think Adeline is only a special occasion restaurant and we don’t feel that it is,” Adams says. “So we’re trying to come up with more creative ways to bring the pricing down without harming the business while adjusting people’s perceptions.”In pursuit of this goal, Adams launched a lunch concept in mid-October called Little A that operates out of the Adeline space. In the evening, Adeline is a sit-down restaurant with a diverse menu. In the afternoon, Little A offers strictly sandwiches for pickup and delivery only. But Adams’ creative flavors and commitment to high-quality ingredients create a bridge between the two concepts. If you enjoy a gourmet sandwich from Little A, the dinner menu at Adeline should also hold appeal. “With the sandwiches we have, we’re able to cross-utilize a lot of products from our dinner menu. There are a few of our dishes that we’ve been able to reinterpret as sandwiches,” Adams says. “Our jerk chicken is a pretty big seller at dinner, so we make a jerk chicken salad sandwich with all the same ingredients.” In addition to showcasing his food in a more accessible way, Adams hopes that Little A will help attract a new audience, simultaneously helping with another struggle—a challenging location on Hillview without a lot of foot traffic.
“A lot of people that live downtown, they’re able to walk out of their apartments and right into a restaurant,” Adams says. “But we have a busy hospital across the street. We’re hoping to capture a little bit of a lunch crowd and hopefully draw people to come back for dinner as well. For enthusiastic epicureans, living in a foodie destination like Sarasota is a dream come true. With a mix of established favorites and buzzworthy new hotspots, there’s always something fresh and exciting on the menu. Narrowing down your options is usually the hardest part of dining out, but being part of a vibrant culinary scene can put an added weight on restaurant owners like Adams who need to stand out in an exemplary field.
Photography by Wyatt Kostygan.
