Asheville’s Holeman & Finch Public House Closes Suddenly

Less than 18 months after opening the Asheville outpost of Holeman & Finch Public House (77 Biltmore Avenue), the downtown restaurant abruptly closed its doors on April 5.

A printed sign taped to the front door and a message on the restaurant’s Asheville website reads “To the North Carolina community who supported us, we are very grateful. Thank you for making fond memories and celebrating convivial moments with us. With heavy hearts, we made the difficult decision to close Holeman & Finch Asheville on 4.5.23. We will always honor our time in Asheville and respect the artisans, farmers, and makers of Western North Carolina.”

A now-former employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells Eater that the staff was blindsided by the closure. They say it began in the middle of lunch service on April 5, when management was directed to call the evening staff and tell them not to report to work. As lunch service ended, employees on site were told the restaurant was closing immediately, and the sign was posted on the door.

Chef Linton Hopkins and his wife/partner Gina entered the Asheville market and the building on Biltmore Avenue in December 2019 with an H&F Burger restaurant to take advantage of the popularity of the menu item at the original Holeman & Finch Public House in Atlanta. H&F Burger Asheville closed during COVID in 2020 and was reopened as Holeman & Finch in December 2021, with a complete interior design overhaul costing well over $1 million.

The Hopkins own umbrella group Hopkins & Company which runs Holeman & Finch Public House Atlanta, which reopened in February 2023 and remains in operation, and H&F Burger and Hop’s Chicken in Atlanta’s Ponce City Market.

Several requests to the company for comment have not been answered as of publication.