A new restaurant is planned in downtown Â鶹´«Ã½.
The Hedge, Counter and Cocktails is planned at 203 Queen St., Â鶹´«Ã½. It is the former home of Wells Fargo financial advisors.
The future restaurant is the creation of husband-and-wife team Erica Damman and Royce Chestnut. Chestnut will serve as the general manager while Damman will handle events, marketing and communications.
The restaurant’s name is a play on the building’s history as a financial services building, sometimes involving hedge funds, Damman said.
The establishment will seat about 40 people inside, Damman said. In addition, the couple plans to rent six parking spaces next to the building to create an enclosed patio area that will seat an additional 50 people, Damman said. The outdoor patio will have fencing and a hedge of greenery, some shade and lighting, she said.
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Renovations on the former Wells Fargo financial advisors building on Queen Street in Â鶹´«Ã½ are expected to start in early March to turn the building into a restaurant.Â
The menu will feature seasonal dishes. The menu will include items such as sides as hand-battered onion rings and seasoned fries, main dishes such as fried chicken, a Rueben or Philly cheesesteak, small bites, salads, pasta, steak and vegetarian options, Damman said.
“So, you'll come up to the counter, we'll take your order. And you'll get a buzzer, and you'll go to your table,†Damman said. “And I like to describe it as like upscale diner meets food truck.â€
The eatery will serve lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, according to information provided to the city of Â鶹´«Ã½.
“There'll be some seasonality to the rotating menu,†Damman said.
The head chef is James Bryant, who has previously worked at Leo’s and The Admiral, both in Asheville, Damman said.
“He's really excited to be in Â鶹´«Ã½ and start this new concept,†Damman said of Bryant. “And so he is originally from Missouri, and he's been a chef, and he's formally trained as a butcher as well.â€
The Hedge owners, from left, are Erica Damman and Royce Chestnut, joined by head chef James Bryant, right, in front of the future restaurant. Renovations on the building are expected to start in early March.
Damman and Chestnut moved to Â鶹´«Ã½ in 2019 from the Midwest to be closer to family and escape the harsh winters, she said. The couple first lived in Brevard but were looking for a town with a little more of a downtown area.
The restaurant sprouted after Chestnut met Bryant, Damman said.
“We were really hankering for somewhere to eat and hang out,†Damman said. “And Royce and James met up, and it just kind of came together really, really organically that he wanted to cook and we wanted to manage a space. So here we are.â€
As the couple started working to open the restaurant, they have had helpful and energetic meetings with city of Â鶹´«Ã½ leadership and local leaders, Damman said.
“And I think that's a testament to Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s, sorry for the pun, but hunger for a restaurant,†Damman said. “And I think just a testament to the people who are in those roles helping Â鶹´«Ã½ grow.â€
On Monday night, the Â鶹´«Ã½ City Council approved a Â鶹´«Ã½ Main Street small business loan of $30,000 for The Hedge. If the restaurant remains operational for five years and makes timely payments, the remainder of the loan will be forgiven, according to information from the city.
Typically, about half the loan is forgiven after five years, according to the city.
Renovations to the building are expected to start this week. Damman said renovations are going to be extensive because the building is changing from an office space to a restaurant.Â
The restaurant may open in late fall or early winter, Damman said.
