Restaurant Owners Uncorked · 2026-07-30 · 1h 6m
Summary Amy Wester, managing partner at Biscuit Head, returns after three years to talk about surviving a brutal stretch: COVID, then Hurricane Helene in September 2024, which destroyed their Swannanoa cannery and left Asheville without running water for 52 days. She describes hauling and boiling water in buckets, switching to single-use containers and three compartment sinks, opening an evening concept just so staff could earn hours, and feeding desperate neighbors for free when cash was the only currency. Five straight years without a clean recovery, and this is finally the year it feels good again. Tourism is approaching pre-Helene numbers and all four locations are still open. Amy credits an owner group that still works weekends, answers the phone at any hour, admits mistakes out loud, and retrains constantly, plus a hyper-local Asheville restaurant community that lent each other supplies and information instead of competing. Key takeaways Show up. The partners still work shifts and never ask staff to do what they won't do themselves. Answer the phone. Every employee has all three partners' cell numbers and they use them. Culture beats scale.
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