As Asheville restaurants like Vivian close their doors, what will happen to the city’s culinary magic?
North Carolina, our Asheville neighbors are welcoming us back with open arms — and its restaurants, especially, need our tourism dollars.
“Charlotte is one of our larger feeder markets for vacationers,” said Victoria Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville. And Asheville — which has been actively recovering from Hurricane Helene — is eager to welcome visitors back to this hospitality-driven city.
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Despite progress, the hurricane-inflicted economic downturn has been exponentially challenging for restaurants.
Vivian, a French restaurant in the River Arts District that has been a tenet of the food and beverage scene in Asheville, is one notable loss already. Its chef, Josiah McGaughey, was nominated for a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast in 2023.
According to Vivian’s Instagram, “The financial damages that Hurricane Helene has caused to our small lil biz have been detrimental … It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that Vivian will be permanently closing its doors.”
Other permanent or long-term temporary closures include Rosabee’s, one location of Summit Coffee — which the Queen City area knows and loves — and Corner Kitchen, which does plan to rebuild.
Even long-established restaurants like James Beard award-winning Cúrate are struggling. Chef Katie Button has been forced to lay off 30% of her staff and faces being down 50% in revenue during what would typically be the best three months of the year.
“We need sales to keep people employed,” she told CharlotteFive.
Supporting restaurants that supported Asheville
“Travel and hospitality have been a part of the fabric of Asheville and Western North Carolina for generations,” Isley said. This is true for the tourists, and the people who make a living there — the food and beverage community accounts for 12.2% of Asheville’s workforce.
That Asheville workforce is hurting right now. “Hospitality workers need support … a lot of them have been laid off and can’t find another job,” Button said. Button said many restaurants are waiting until January to see if the holidays can keep them afloat.
The stakes are high. Why visit now?
It’s just a human thing to do — to show support for those who showed up for their communities during a tragedy. The very employees struggling to find employment and make ends meet now were the ones on the ground feeding communities in the early post-hurricane days.
The Cúrate and Chai Pani teams were on the front lines in the very beginning, making thousands of meals with Jose Andres and the World Central Kitchen. The folks at Neng Jr.’s and Good Hot Fish cooked together to provide free, hot meals for the community. Shanghai Dumpling House delivered noodles to the AC Hotel for weeks. Hotel operators with minimal staff opened rooms for emergency workers.
And even three months out, hospitality spots are still putting in the work to rebuild the community. Cúrate just hosted a relief dinner — a Pintxo party — to raise funds for chef Ashleigh Shanti’s staff at Good Hot Fish, named one of the 50 best restaurants in America by the New York Times.
Service work is more than just restaurants and hotels — Uber drivers are affected, too.
Driver Jackie Gass said, “During the six weeks after the storm, 90% of my riders would have been tourists.” Gass hopes that travel in the winter months will help offset the loss.
“We need the Charlotte people, the Greenville people, the Raleigh people to come out and visit us … we need our weekend warriors to go to breweries, hit the restaurants, go on dates,” Gass said.
Small businesses, from drivers to restaurants, have relied on locals to spread the wealth, but need tourists to endure.
‘Watch us rebuild’
At Asheville’s AC Hotel bar Capella on 9, bartender Candra Castellani said, “We lost our busiest season of all, and it’s just been so hard. We lost 75% of our front-of-house staff” due to initial layoffs and limited visitors amidst the hotel’s re-opening.
It’s only in the past few days that Castellani has seen a busier bar. She thinks people should be visiting now more than ever to “watch us rebuild … see the strength in our communities.”
What does Asheville have to offer?
Award-winning restaurants like Neng Jr.’s, Cúrate, Chai Pani and Good Hot Fish
Bars and breweries like The Admiral, Anoche, The Times Bar and Coffee and Leo’s House of Thirst
Re-opened nature trails like Graveyard Fields Loop Trail and Daniel Boone Scout Trail
Live music venues like The Orange Peel and The Grey Eagle
Festive happenings like the Gingerbread Trail of Giving or Biltmore’s Winter Wonderland
Iconic lodging venues like The Omni Grove Park Inn and The Chestnut Street Inn
Winter travels
“The holidays here are an inspiring time … and it certainly takes on a deeper meaning this year,” Isley said.
At the Biltmore over the holidays, expect a fully opened property with Candlelight Christmas Evenings, grand and festive decorations and an extensive Chihuly glass art exhibition.
A visit to the Biltmore is “an investment in our community’s recovery and a symbol of the strength and unity of our region,” Chase Pickering, Vice President of Biltmore Guest Experience, said. “By supporting hotels, restaurants, and attractions like the Biltmore, income is generated for workers. … It’s not just about economic recovery … it’s about preserving our state for future generations.”
Come January and February, Asheville’s Restaurant Week will be in full swing.
Support with a visit – or from afar
Asheville is a town of small, passionate, independent creators, makers and artisans — many of which are small business owners.
If travel isn’t an option, Button suggests purchasing gift cards from these Asheville restaurants or creators for holiday gifts, using resources like Love Asheville from Afar.
If these businesses can’t stay in Asheville, “who comes in and replaces them?” Button asked. “We don’t want Asheville to lose that independent creative charm that makes it so special.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
