Montford's Beloved Neighborhood Tavern, Tall John's, Celebrates its First Anniversary on October 19th, 2023
When Tall John's first opened its doors on October 19th, 2022, Chef/Owner Trevor Payne had a clear vision for what they wanted to accomplish: classic, delicious, expertly crafted food and drinks served in a friendly, relaxed environment. Inspired by the restaurant's location, a strikingly tall historic building in the heart of Montford, the two set out to create a space where neighbors and visitors alike could enjoy an experience that is at once special and unpretentious.
“I genuinely wanted to approach the location and project from the standpoint of what would best support the Montford neighborhood. What did Montford need? What would be complementary to what exists already here? How do we make people comfortable and welcome in the restaurant? How do we make that genuinely the scope of the project?”
A look back on the restaurant's first year indicates that Payne, Adams and their team successfully answered all of those questions. At opening, Tall John's offered dinner service from Wednesday - Sunday, gaining enough momentum over the course of the year to expand its offerings to include dinner & a cocktail hour 7 nights a week, plus brunch on weekends. The restaurant has also added award wins to its list of accomplishments, including Best New Restaurant in the 2023 Mountain Xpress' annual reader's poll.
In addition to expanding its service options, Tall John's expanded its management team during its first year, adding Sous Chef Case Ruiz and Assistant General Manager Brandon Grogan to the team. With a focus on creating as welcoming an environment as possible for staff as well as customers, Tall John's has retained one-third of its staff since opening.
First Anniversary/Tall John's Birthday details
Opening date anniversary on October 19th
Celebrating with special food & drink offerings for the birthday weekend & beyond
New fall cocktail menu
Seasonal cocktails, perfect for fall, with the option to "pumpkin spice" any cocktail on the menu for a few weeks
Permanent martini menu inspired by the success of Adams' Freezer-Cold Martini recipe, an instant Tall John's classic
Includes Tall John's take on iconic martini variations, including a freezer-cold dirty martini, espresso martini and an apple-tini
Bringing back customer favorites from opening—available during birthday weekend only
Pork schnitzel
"A big hit right out of the gate," according to Chef/Owner Trevor Payne. "People are excited about seeing that again."
Accomplishments in first year
Opened with dinner 5 days per week, expanded service to include brunch on weekends, dinner on Monday/Tuesday & daily cocktail hour with half-off appetizers from 4-5pm
Tall John's is open for dinner from 4-9pm 7 days a week, starting Monday service earlier this month (October 9th)
Sunday brunch from 9am-2pm
Awards
Team retention & expansion
1/3 staff retention from opening, including both management & FOH/BOH staff
Major hires
Assistant General Manager: Brandon Grogan
Started in Asheville's restaurant industry in 2014 as a barback at Chai Pani's MG Road
Opening bartender at Buxton Hall BBQ, was promoted to Bar Manager and then General Manager, a position he held for two years before joining Tall John's in 2023
Grogan on Tall John's signature attitude: "It’s a restaurant that people love to eat and drink at, but more importantly, it’s a restaurant that our staff truly enjoys working at."
Sous Chef: Case Ruiz
Born & raised in Texas, moved to Asheville in 2023
Resonated with Tall John's clear concept, down-to-earth attitude & commitment to excellence
13 years in Texas' coffee & restaurant industries before moving to Asheville. Experience in Texas includes Launderette (Austin), Squable (Houston), Nancy's Hustle (Houston) & Best Quality Daughter (San Antonio)
Owned & operated breakfast pop-up Brother Frank's (San Antonio)
Ruiz on his initial impressions of Tall John's & desire to join the team: "I understood the food & the context of the restaurant even from Texas. I saw it was in a residential neighborhood with not a lot of other restaurants around it. I knew it would be 'the spot,' but honestly it was after I met Jasper & Trevor that I knew I wanted to work here. Trevor worked & opened places in Portland that were really important to me when I first started cooking. I've often aimed for places where everyone around me was significantly smarter & better than me—Tall John's is no exception. After working with Trevor the first time, I realized how much better of a cook & chef he was than me, so I knew I had to work here. Honestly, I can't even believe they let me run things here. It's awesome."
Ruiz on Tall John's signature attitude: "When something is sure of itself, it doesn't feel the need to scream at the top of its lungs for attention. It just is. The management team, the BOH and the FOH are so committed to letting the food & service speak for itself in such a non-pretentious way. I needed to be around it.There is a very healthy ego that exists in the restaurant, that's committed to excellence; I couldn't find that anywhere else in Asheville."
Reflecting on their successful first year as Tall John's founding management team, Payne takes pride in the way their business connects to people.
“The restaurant is run by locals who grew up here, and our clientele is overwhelmingly local. That part means a great deal to me in a town where our families have built their lives generationally committed to being here and contributing to Asheville. To be supported by this tight-knit community means the world to me. Every night we are open we have restaurant professionals eating and drinking in the building and it feels really good.”
Payne attributes Tall John’s high staff retention and job satisfaction to empathy and connection with the team. For Payne, one of the most gratifying parts of opening his first restaurant in Asheville is the connection he feels to his peers beyond Tall John's, describing a gratifying feeling of "embrace from the restaurant community here in Asheville."
Chef/Owner owner Trevor Payne founded Tall John's with the goal of serving the local community, both citywide and within its own neighborhood
Payne on Tall John's connection to its hyper-local community: "The way Montford neighbors utilize the restaurant was a goal from the beginning - dropping by for a quick cocktail and a bite, having an impromptu catchup with a friend, dining solo with a book to read & having a big fun meal with their family in from out of town or an early dinner on a Tuesday with all their kids. It's been great to see the scenarios we imagined during development actually play out in real life."
Payne on Tall John's signature "classics done right" approach to food: "We like to lean on big classics and recognizable ingredients but we don't let that restrict us. We really wanted to anchor the menu around a handful of ubiquitous dishes that felt inviting to the idea of a great neighborhood restaurant—things like roasted chicken, a perfect cold martini, beets & goat cheese, steak tartare & caesar salad. What can we do really well that appeals to many but that we can have fun with at the same time and still be very seasonally driven?"
Tall John's is a neighborhood tavern located centrally in Asheville's historic Montford district. Serving classics done right, we're a place for all occasions, from first dates to family gatherings. Come join us for dinner & drinks 7 days a week (Monday - Sunday), or weekend brunch on Sunday. Bring your friends—or meet some new ones while you're here! Voted Asheville's 2023 Best New Restaurant by Xpress readers.
