From Staff Reports 

The flagship location of 12 Bones Smokehouse, located in the River Arts District, will be at least partially demolished soon so that Riverside Drive can be straightened as part of Asheville’s improvement plan for the River Arts District. 

12 Bones, which has occupied the building since 2005, has been an ultra-popular local eatery that even has attracted visits from President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle.

Despite the big changes, 12 Bones owner Bryan King is emphasizing that his restaurant will continue to operate in the RAD.

“12 Bones is not going away,” he said in early April. “We’ll be just fine.”

At of the Daily Planet’s deadline, the Kings are debating over several possible sites for a fall or winter relocation.

King and his wife Angela, who bought the restaurant in 2013, have known that the move would be necessary for some time. “Once we signed our current lease over two years ago, we saw the writing on the wall then and started looking around,” he said.

So far, the Kings have decided against a move to Phil Mechanic Studios or to the RAD Lofts (a new buildng that will bring residential units, office and retail space to the former Dave Steel property).

They said both locations were lacking in parking — an issue at the current  RAD location. 

The Lofts, said King, did not work for a variety of reasons — the biggest issue being that the property was too new.

“We’ve tried to find something that fits us,” he said. “If it’s possible, it would be nice to go into an older building that kind of has that old-school RAD feel — rustic, gritty, I think that’s who we are.”

All possible venues for 12 Bones’ relocation are larger and allow for outdoor seating, King said.