Tears were flowing as much as the coffee on the final day of business at The Hungry Bear Café.
On May 8, customers and staff embraced each other and shared memories over their last meals at the mom-and-pop diner. By 2 p.m., Bill and Shirley Parker would permanently close at 165 Smokey Park Highway after 13 years serving West Asheville neighbors.
Bill Parker said Hungry Bear was motivated by the couple’s exasperation with the lack of good food as more national fast-food chains opened in the city.
“Mom and pops are kind of being deleted with the times.”
Since 2013, the couple raised their three children at the restaurant and watched their grandchildren take their first steps on the black-and-white checkered tile floor. They’d forged tight-knit bonds with loyal customers who’ve become more like family, making Hungry Bear feel like another home.
The Parkers, who were given 45-day notice from their landlord, are planning how to pivot as their restaurant closes to make room for yet another chain restaurant.
“Mom and pops are kind of being deleted with the times,” Bill Parker said, who’s been in the service industry since 1976. “You don’t have too many of these home places like this left, where people go in, relax, eat, have a cup of coffee and chat with their friends.”
The Hungry Bear Cafe building and other property on the 0.66-acre lot will be razed to make way for a 7 Brew Coffee, as the Citizen Times previously reported last December. This plan also resulted in the eviction of neighboring businesses, The Extended Garden Florist, and Healthy Harvest Produce, which has operated for 27 years.
The coffee chain is amid an expansion that would bring roughly 100 new 7 Brew locations to North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. According to the company’s website, there were more than 700 locations across 38 states and 283 cities, as of April 2026.
A proposal was also submitted by Piedmont Beverage Co., a Greenville, South Carolina-based subsidiary of WJ Partners, for a second Asheville drive-thru beverage shop about three miles down the street at 818 Patton Ave., a former Arby’s location long-known as a vacant and empty storefront.
While 7 Brew has sparked a lot of attention and popularity across the nation, and is creating a buzz with some locals who are excited to welcome the chain to the city.
Hungry Bear customers Alan and Marcia Quade, who have lived in the neighborhood since 1984, said they didn’t see the need for yet another coffee shop, especially if it would put local establishments out of business.
West Asheville has many more existing coffee shops along Haywood Road. Also, Earthling Coffee, a locally-owned drive-thru beverage store, relocated from Smokey Park Highway to Patton Avenue this spring.
The impending 7 Brew would be less than half a mile from a Starbucks, also on Smokey Park Highway.
“They’re not getting my money,” Marcia Quade said. “An $8 cup of coffee when I can get a meal here for $8 with coffee.”
Healthy Harvest Produce closes after 27 years
On May 9, Healthy Harvest Produce, another casualty of the development deal at 167 Smokey Park Highway, closed, leaving owner Mike Duckett to say farewell to the loyal customers who had shopped at his open-air store for more than two decades.
“I would like to thank them for supporting me for the last 27 years. It’s been great. We met a lot of people, made a lot of friends, and love everyone of them,” Duckett said on the morning of May 8, as he restocked tomatoes.
Duckett said he’d been in the produce business since he was 18 years old. He was the sole employee, opening to customers three days a week in the final days.
He’d sold all of his equipment and tables and planned to donate the remaining produce to MANNA FoodBank.
At age 72, Duckett said he would not reopen the produce store, but would find part-time work elsewhere.
Mom-and-pop shops close, chain coffee shop to move in
Across the parking lot, on the morning of May 8, Shirley Parker made her rounds, checking in with diners to ensure they enjoyed their meals, wiping tables, and welcoming the next guests.
Most people she knew by name and greeted with familiarity as they came in for their favorite dishes, which included old-fashioned country-style bestsellers like the biscuits and gravy.
Marcia Quade gave a teary ‘goodbye’ to the Hungry Bear team and hugged another diner before leaving.
“I hate that a good mom-and-pop is being pushed out,” Marcia Quade said.
Shirley Parker said that she and her husband were given a 45-day notice to vacate the property. She said she initially learned about the impending lease of the property after seeing their landlord post a sign out front.
According to the Buncombe County Register of Deeds and city permits, the property is owned by Sharon Anderson Tolley Irrevocable Trust. She was not available for comment by publication time.
Shirley Parker said that their landlord was good to them through the COVID-19 pandemic and Tropical Storm Helene, with no problem, so the news about their lease being terminated came as a surprise.
The property was listed at least a year ago, and 7 Brew’s intent to occupy the site was made public last December. Shirley Parker said they didn’t know the confirmed date by which they’d have to vacate until they received the 45-day legal notice, given on April 1, which she said wasn’t enough to make a smooth transition to a new location. They may occupy the building until May 14, but were told demolition would begin the next day. The restaurant closed on May 8 to allow time to remove its belongings, including heavy kitchen equipment such as the grill.
“When they came in May to pick up the rent, they said, ‘By the way, wrecking ball’s coming the day after you close so you have to be out by the 15th,” Shirley Parker said.
Hungry Bear is set to resume operations at a new address, though a temporary site may be necessary before they acquire a permanent brick-and-mortar location that fits their needs, ideally a move-in-ready property with a spacious dining room. The Parkers intend to stay in West Asheville.
The Parkers also own property on Johnston School Road in West Asheville, formerly a convenience store and eatery with a dog park.
Hungry Bear Cafe Express is planned to reopen, with a limited menu and service. The Parkers have purchased Healthy Harvest Produce’s shed, which will be transported to the other property to create an additional covered seating area.
“We’re trying to have a vision of possibilities. When you’re an entrepreneur, that’s what you do if you want to survive,” Shirley Parker said.
The Hungry Bear Café’s last day on Smokey Park Highway
Hungry Bear had a staff of eight people. Bill Parker said he was determined to keep at the restaurant, though he was assisting them in finding new employment.
Flora Tabora was the longest-serving employee, having worked at the diner for nine years. She said she had a job lined up, working with a friend in housekeeping until Hungry Bear is ready to bring her back. Tabora said she started working for the Parkers as a young mother and has also watched them grow up at the restaurant. Her employers were flexible with scheduling, and the diner’s closing at 2 p.m. allowed parents time to pick up their children from school and be home with their families for dinner.
“I was praying for a job like this and He gave it to me. I love it. I know almost everybody, and I know what they want to eat and drink, and they love that, too,” Tabora said.
The Parkers’ son, Brian, also worked at the restaurant until its closing. It brought tears to Shirley Parker’s eyes to remember how the community rallied for her family when he needed a transplant, and it was unclear if he was going to live. They pooled donations, prayed with the family, and offered other support so they could find the care he needed in Chapel Hill.
“Mr. Joe, he was like, ‘Whatever you need.’ He gave me furniture and a washer and dryer. Brian celebrates his anniversary ― 10 years ― in September from his transplant, and now he’s able to work with his dad,” she said.
Hungry Bear Café in hibernation, but will return
Marcia Quade said there was no one in the area who could make French toast like Bill Parker. Alan was nondiscriminatory, saying he loved everything on the menu.
Red Reeves, who has lived in the neighborhood for 72 years and had frequented the restaurant two to three times a month since it opened, said he had come in to get one more serving of “good, brown gravy.”
“I hate to see it go for a little ole coffee shop,” Reeves said.
Iain Frampton, of England, has lived in Asheville for 10 years, usually with his friend, Reeves. Frampton said he was glad to find a local staple that still offered reasonable prices.
“Everything’s country-cooked and good. It’s sad. I know some things need to change, but it’s almost like Asheville needs to slow down some and keep some of the local favorites,” Frampton said, adding that the city had enough coffee shops.
Hungry Bears customers overwhelmingly said that they would visit the restaurant at its next locations.
“We’d like to thank all of our wonderful customers. We’ve probably got the best, loyal following on earth,” Bill Parker said. “We might go away a little while, but we’ll be back.”
Reporting by Tiana Kennell, Asheville Citizen Times / Asheville Citizen Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
