Moe's Original BBQ to close this weekend, reopen in new location mid-June
Hendersonville’s Moe’s Original BBQ will soon be moving locations, away from Main Street and downtown Hendersonville.
Currently located at 114 North Main St., the restaurant will soon move to 1794 Asheville Highway. The weekend of May 25 will Moe’s Original BBQ’s last at the Main Street location.
Owner and operator Dave Rice said making this move makes “complete sense” for the business.
“I just feel like it’s a better location,” Rice said. “We’ve been on Main Street for 11 years now. Honestly, just the numbers have gone down quite a bit over the last couple of years.”
Rice said declining sales are the result of Hendersonville moving to a paid parking system rather than a free one. This change was made by Hendersonville City Council in early 2023.
He said he could “almost draw a line” between when the city started charging for parking and when Moe’s Original BBQ started seeing decreasing numbers.
In addition to parking woes, Rice said the building that currently houses the restaurant is old and “was not in the best shape” when Moe’s Original BBQ moved in 11 years ago.
Rice said the Asheville Highway location offers “ample” parking in a lot directly in front of the building, as well as an additional lot next door. He said he will ensure there are special marked spots for to-go and catering orders to make it easier for customers to pick up.
Rice said very little will change about the restaurant and that all staff will be able to keep their jobs. With the ability to add new kitchen equipment, he said some new menu items may be added.
“I look at this as kind of an opportunity to keep our same loyal customer base,” Rice said. “Over the last couple of months, I’ve been really talking to the regulars and making sure everyone knows and the feedback has been nothing but positive, which is good.”
Rice said he has talked with some customers, mainly those who work downtown, who are “bummed” about the move because they will no longer be able to walk to the restaurant from work. He said these customers are still excited about the prospect of being able to stop at the new location on their way home from work to pick up food there.
In addition to keeping the regular customer base, Rice said he is “excited” to find new customers as well and continue working with the community, including with the hospital, which Moe’s Original BBQ will now be closer to at the new location.
After closing this weekend, Rice said he is hoping for a “relatively quick turn-around” and hopes to reopen at the Asheville Highway location by mid-June. No official date has been set yet.
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Karrigan Monk is the reporter for Black Mountain News and Hendersonville Times-News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kmonk@blackmountainnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Moe's Original BBQ to close this weekend ahead of mid-June relocation
