- January 1, 2025
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There is no denying that the Tampa Bay dining scene has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, and 2025 is sure to be no exception.
But one trend that stands apart is the quiet rise of supper clubs.
For the uninitiated (and for many places, the invite-only membership policy does require initiation), supper clubs are dining establishments that usually involve a more intimate setting, upscale cuisine and white glove treatment–all meant to invoke a sense of luxury.
A standout example of several supper clubs to pop up in the region recently, or be announced, is in Sarasota, with 1000 North. The first 1000 North is in Jupiter, while the second location is scheduled to open in downtown Sarasota in the BLVD condo building in late 2025.
“I think it's a fun and exciting time, and then it's hard work. You've got to ensure you deliver and you can create that experience for the folks who are working with you, and you can create great experiences for the people who are coming in to support the business,” 1000 North General Manager Tim Fanning says.
1000 North is the brainchild of developer Ira Fenton and former New York Giant Tucker Frederickson, plus several other founding partners according to its website. The club is unique for the number of partners — approximately two dozen, including recognizable names such as Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and Ahmad Rashad, to name a few. The second location will be brought to Sarasota by developer Kevin Daves.
“My expertise is creating memorable dining experiences, listening to people, communicating with people as often as possible, and trying to understand what their vision is for a great experience, and then getting my team to put that together and execute that experience and hopefully exceed everyone's expectations,” says Fanning, a 25-year veteran of the industry.
Fanning has spent quite some time at the flagship 1000 North location, noting Fenton’s attention to detail in the way he treats the team and says goodnight to everyone. “You walk in and kind of feel like everybody knows your name when you've only really been there a handful of times,” he says, “So it's a great little club-like, atmosphere that we really enjoyed, and we're excited to bring it to Sarasota.”
The supper club concept stands in opposition in an industry that anticipates the future growth of restaurants to be off-premises via takeout and delivery orders, according to a National Restaurant Association report.
But from Naples to Tampa, supper clubs are gaining momentum and adding new features, such as wine tasting and guest speakers. The Old Vines Supper Club, with two locations in Naples, in addition to one in Kennebunk, Maine, offered an educational wine dinner series in October.
Other supper clubs have begun to offer amenities that, at first glance, would seem to be outside the core mission.
Take the Adnoraf, a supper club in Tampa opened by husband and wife Steven and Faronda Davis in 2023. It is currently at capacity with 150 members and is only available by waitlist. A multi-tiered membership system ranging from $2,500-$5,000 grants diners different levels of access to amenities.
Adnoraf currently offers a wellness space for members to partake in yoga, reiki and IV therapy, and in 2025 will be moving into a larger undisclosed location that will include an entire medical spa.
“I believe we can look good. Until the day we die, we should look the same,” Davis says regarding the decision to include anti-aging treatments in the next phase of the business.
He took stock of customer feedback as well, before deciding to pursue the wellness expansion. “The clientele that we have, they value their time, they value community, and they value their privacy and they all look good, and how you eat as part of that,” he says, “So that's just a small piece, and the wellness with reiki, that's a small piece and how you look as well is a piece of that. So the reason I kind of jumped into the med spa with the supper club was to bridge the whole gap.”
As a somewhat novel trend, new players are primed to enter and expand in the supper club space in 2025.
The Feinstein Group, for example, a Pinellas County-based firm behind brands such as the Black Pearl in Dunedin, recently launched the Highland House Social Club alongside its newest venture, Highland House, in the recently renovated Dunedin Golf Club, according to a statement. Highland House Social Club, the company says, will be capped at 500 members — with no golf course membership required.
One key to the success of any of these brands is to maintain exclusivity — or the feeling thereof. “I keep going back to the words unique and rare, " Fanning says, "and those kind of ring true when I think about 1000 North.”
