Brookhaven restaurant will close, ‘It is bittersweet,’ owner says
Published 2:11 pm Friday, April 5, 2024
- Melaney Etheridge, owner of Adele's on the Boulevard, said the business would close at the end of May. Her chapter in the food service industry is coming to a close but she is ready for the next chapter. (Courtesy Photo | Melaney Etheridge)
BROOKHAVEN — May 17 will mark three years of Adele’s on the Boulevard being open. It will be the last anniversary celebrated by the restaurant.
A statement from the business on Facebook said they will start a new chapter two months from now. The new chapter will start outside of the food industry, the post stated.
Over the next two months, Adele’s will continue to stay open. The building at 508 Brookway Boulevard was listed for sale by Sabrina Wolff at Mason and Magnolias Real Estate back in January. At the time, Adele’s stated they had no intention of closing and hoped to continue to lease the building.
Owner Melaney Etheridge said they do not have a specific final day of business but are shooting for the last day of May. The building is still listed for sale but they are the owners and if it does not sell they will look to lease it out. She cited a few reasons for why the business was closing.
“We are working on homesteading and other projects. We decided to move on to another chapter,” Etheridge said. “Labor Day last year my mother-in-law passed away. She was 50. She just didn’t wake up the next morning, no health problems. The loss generated the move. It caused a shift of priority and just realizing that food service takes up your whole life. It will take up your entire life and it was not something I wanted to invest 30 years into.”
She loved being able to serve the community with the restaurant. Adele’s offered a place for young people to be trained into strong employees. Teaching the next generation of workers was like a Ministry, she said.
Her hope is to continue to minister to those in the community any way they can even once the business closes. Facebook comments and messages and texts from the community touched her heart in the past 24 hours.
“It has been an incredible thing and I’m glad we got to share in our tastes and bring something different. We have good things coming to Brookhaven though,” Etheridge said.
In addition to homesteading and raising two children, Etheridge said she intends to complete her pilot’s license. She is involved in two other businesses. The next chapter will hopefully allow her to be more family oriented and involved.
The building where Adele’s is will remain on the market. Once the restaurant closes, Etheridge said they intend to do some remodeling. It could be used as an event venue or another business.
“We will see what happens and how it flows,” Etheridge said. “It is bittersweet. It has been enjoyable and I’m amazed by the connections we have had with everyone.”