Sarasota restaurant closing on Main Street seeks new space

A restaurant that has been open for nearly nine years in downtown Sarasota is closing at the end of April. Element lost its lease at 1413 Main St., the business announced on social media, and plans to open in a new, yet-to-be-determined location.

The last day in business for Element — which serves steak, seafood and pasta — will be April 26.

“We’re going to bang out the best specials that we’ve ever done,” Chef Scott Morlock says in a video announcing the closure on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

On April 26, Element will offer a “unique, 10-course tasting menu,” according to its website.

In the meantime, the restaurant is actively scouting for new locations.

“The goal is to find a new home and be open by season of 2026,” Element owner Michelle Schlingmann says in the video announcing the closure.

Photo by Elizabeth King

Element has 22 employees, who “all have multiple jobs, own businesses and have side hustles,” Marketing Manager Lauren DiTaranto says in an email.

The restaurant occupies a 6,513-square-foot space on Main Street, according to DiTaranto. It is looking for a comparable spot for its new location, or something 2,000 square feet smaller that is also downtown around Main Street, she says.

Element opened in November 2017, according to sister publication YourObserver.com.