The Adamson and Adamson Links

Graham Dalton, of the The Adamson, gave a fascinating insight into the history and running of the restaurant in a talk to his fellow Rotarians.

Graham said the name for the brasserie came from the original owner of the 1860 building, Dr John Adamson, a physician and eminent pioneering photographer.

Dr Adamson’s home became the town post office in 1907. In 2010 the Dalton family purchased the building and two years later and after a £1.3 million refurbishment the restaurant opened. In 2015, what was the adjoining postal sorting office became a cocktail bar.

Graham said the family-owned business initially involved his father, sister and himself. Their idea was to create a memorable dining experience using quality locally-sourced food combined with excellent service.

They wanted to forge a strong relationship with guests, staff, suppliers, the community and shareholders.

The Adamson has 53 staff members and continuous training was the key in striving to achieve service excellence.

Graham said there was a wide demographic of guests comprising locals, the student population and tourists including golf visitors.

The aim of the team of chefs and cocktail bar staff was to provide innovating, modern cuisine and drinks with an appropriate ambience to the time of day. Guests would enjoy welcoming, comfortable surroundings and receive a memorable dining experience.

Graham said the pandemic had made business challenging but the restaurant had put in place a Covid strategy with screens, reduced tables to increase space and enhanced cleaning to make dining safer.

The hospitality industry was experiencing difficulties not just with Covid but also post-Brexit with staffing shortages.

Graham believed that the UK was now world-leading in cuisine quality and said Fife was a superb region for sourcing food saying the great majority of the Adamson’s suppliers were local.

He said menus changed with the seasons with a large variety of dishes. The restaurant held several special events including charity evenings. Innovation also extended to the bar with cocktail trees and master classes. Around 1800 cocktails were served each week.

The Adamson has received a number of awards including 2 AA rosettes and a listing in the Michelin guide. It has also won several other industry awards including cocktail bar of the year.

A new venture for Graham was the setting up of a golf travel business, Adamson Links, which provides bespoke trips in Scotland using the top courses with some of the best hospitality and accommodation.

Marilyn Rowan Rhind proposed a vote of thanks for Graham’s illuminating talk on the building’s history and the restaurant’s vision and successful journey.