Asheville’s Vivian Uses a Mix of Casual Menus and Fine Dining Style to Keep Guests and Employees Comfortable

When Shannon and Josiah McGaughey moved to Asheville, the husband-wife team’s goal was to open their own restaurant. Operating a pop-up at a brewery helped them establish credibility with the banks as well as local customers, giving them the momentum to open their first brick-and-mortar restaurant, the more upscale Vivian. But when the pandemic hit, the duo found themselves dipping back into their pop-up portfolio for comfort-leaning dishes to help their restaurant weather the...