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Bouchon, a French comfort food restaurant, is for sale: what you need to know

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ASHEVILLE – A downtown restaurant is for sale as an Asheville chef retires after a 51-year culinary career.

Chef Michel Baudouin has announced his intention to sell French comfort food restaurant Bouchon ahead of its 20th anniversary, October 5, 2025.

Bouchon opened in 2005 at 62 North Lexington Ave.

Boudewijn said that while his priorities have shifted, he is not yet ready to “completely retire” from the services sector.

Baudouin, one of the founding members of the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association, owns the farm-to-table French restaurant RendezVous at 184 New Haw Creek Road.

“RendezVous isn’t going anywhere in the near future. I’m slowing down, but I can’t quit cold turkey,” says Baudouin, who grew up on a farm near Lyon, France, and has worked in the restaurant industry since he was 16.

The restaurateur said he decided to sell Bouchon to slow down, give his body and mind a well-deserved break and spend time with family, including his grandchildren.

Boudewijn said he is looking for a “worthy” buyer for the restaurant, which has survived hardships including the building collapse, expansion, downsizing and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In business, things go up and down for different reasons,” he says. “My wife called it ‘the little restaurant that could’ because of its size. You don’t have to do a lot of volume to be successful in Bouchon’s space, so that made it easier for us to navigate the ups and downs.”

He said Bouchon totals 2,400 square feet — 1,200 square feet upstairs and downstairs.

Bouchon said Bouchon employs more than 20 full- and part-time employees, who were notified months ago.

“I am the one who waited and made a decision,” Baldwin said. “It’s not an easy decision because Bouchon has been good to us.”

He said RendezVous, which opened in 2019, will remain open and Bouchon employees will be welcome at its sister restaurant. Employees can get help finding a new job.

Boudewijn says he is looking for a buyer who will continue the business under the name Bouchon or set up a new branch.

There is no timeline for the sale of the restaurant.

“This is not a fire sale. I don’t expect this to happen tomorrow. I’m not just going to sell it to anyone,” Boudewijn said. “Ideally, maybe I would like to find someone who wants to start their own business, and this is a way where it can be affordable to do or continue the concept.”

Parties interested in purchasing Bouchon can contact Carla Barnard at [email protected].

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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

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