ASHEVILLE – The year has begun with several significant changes coming to local food and beverage establishments.
In late December, Bun Intended, a Thai street food eatery at S&W Market, was declared permanently closed. The business partners extended their existing Flour Café food hall concept into the neighboring kiosk, introducing Flour Focaccia Sandwich Shop, now open at 56 Patton Ave. downtown.
Tastee Diner, at 575 Haywood Road, closed following the historic and calamitous Tropical Storm Helene in late September. In January, it will reopen with a new owner, concept and the name, Hail Mary.
Meanwhile, another Asheville restaurateur is looking to the past to enhance downtown dining by closing the door of one business and opening the door of another.
Bouchon closes downtown
Jan. 5. marked the final day of service for Bouchon, a French comfort food eatery at 62 N. Lexington Ave.
On Jan. 16, the business will reopen as Crêperie Bouchon, a casual eatery with a French-inspired lunch menu specializing in crêpes.
Last April, chef and owner Michel Baudouin, 68, announced plans to slow down as he eases closer to retirement and listed the business for sale.
After 20 years, Bouchon has closed to welcome a new concept at 62 North Lexington Ave. downtown.
On Jan. 6, he said he was ready to sell but not give the business away. Tropical Storm Helene further complicated his search for the ideal buyer and asking price.
“Helene came and changed that because unfortunately many restaurants are not making it or not coming back so there is a number of empty restaurants that are ready to be picked up for a lot less than what it would take to buy mine,” he said.
Baudouin, who was raised on a farm near Lyon, France said he decided to keep the brick-and-mortar but reintroducing a simpler concept.
Michel Baudouin, owner of Rendezvous, will revive one of his former restaurant concepts in downtown Asheville.
He’d planned to downsize with Crêperie Bouchon, but that might not be as the team launches a new business. However, he said having a reliable and experienced staff who have worked at the restaurant for many years ― some more than a decade ― will allow him to step back and spend time with his four grandchildren who live abroad.
He said the switch to casual, accessible daytime dining was motivated by the changing downtown demographic, which he said is younger and tourist-driven, and local workers’ demand for more lunch options.
Crêperie Bouchon’s menu
Crêperie Bouchon might be familiar to longtime Asheville residents.
In 2010, Crêperie Bouchon debuted in Bouchon’s courtyard. After five years, it relocated to 68 N. Lexington Ave. and was sold to a new owner before it later closed.
Baudouin said many customers were disappointed in the previous Crêperie Bouchon’s closing.
The revived Crêperie Bouchon will open at 11 a.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Closing hours will be determined by customer traffic, he said.
Menu items haven’t been set but diners can expect soups, salads, sandwiches and crêpes filled with sweet and savory ingredients, wine and coffee.
Reservations will not be required at the counter service eatery but will later be offered.
“We appreciate all the people we’ve had especially the locals, and we look forward to continuing to see them at our two different locations with the different menus,” he said. “It just gives them one more option.
Where to find Bouchon’s dishes
Bouchon, which opened in October 2005, was popular for dishes like onion soup, escargot, moules-frites and chocolate mousse. These and other favorites will still be available but diners must travel to East Asheville to find them at Bouchon’s sister restaurant, Rendezvous.
Baudouin said Rendezvous, a farm-to-table French restaurant that opened in 2019 at 184 New Haw Creek Road, has reflected about 95% of the dishes at Bouchon and will continue to serve the classics with the occasional new special.
Bouchon, 62 North Lexington Ave. downtown, has closed and will reopen under the same ownership as Crêperie Bouchon.
Same faces, different places
The former Bouchon building will get a cosmetic facelift ― a fresh coat of paint, improved lighting and a few shifted tables ― but will otherwise stay the same.
“The atmosphere has contributed to the success of this restaurant,” he said.
The staff visitors have come to know will remain the same, too.
Asheville’s hospitality industry suffered a major blow to its workforce when establishments were forced to close and downsize due to Tropical Storm Helene. The North Fork Reservoir, which supplies the city’s water, was severely damaged and required extensive repairs before potable water was restored.
The boil water notice was lifted on Nov. 18.
Baudouin said Rendezvous was closed for three weeks following Helene before reopening with imported potable water. The Haw Creek restaurant’s hours of operation were extended from five to seven days a week, allowing Bouchon employees to remain working at the sister restaurant and to accommodate downtown customers.
Baudouin said of the nearly 60 full-time employees at both restaurants, only one person departed, attributed to Helene.
“All the staff is staying on board. Some of them are going to Rendezvous but most of them are staying right here working the new concept with me,” Baudouin said.
The Bouchon to Crêperie Bouchon transition comes during the slowest time of the year for restaurants, which experience a customer decline in January and February. Baudouin said Helene has made business more challenging but he’s aware and adapting to the changing climate and customers’ new interests.
“It’s time to make a change. This is a good time to do it,” Baudouin said.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram/Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Bouchon closes, new restaurant to open in downtown Asheville, more
