Rapid River Magazine: Tell us a little about O’Charley’s and the style of food that you serve.

Steve Harder: O’Charley’s serves classic American food with a southern twist: steaks, seafood, chicken, and salads. We have extraordinarily good deserts and our loaded baked potato soup is legendary.

RRM: O’Charley’s is being completely remodeled. Will you share with us some of what the new look has to offer?

SH: O’Charley’s has been purchased by American Blue Ribbon Holding, making us part of the third largest restaurant company in America and also infusing us with new ideas, new designs, and a rebranding. The menu is changing, the building is changing, and the uniforms are changing. It will be fresh and current.

RRM: As the new Asheville General Manager, you feel it is extremely important to focus heavily on being known as a local area restaurant. What changes are you bringing (no pun intended) to the table?

SH: The Asheville market is the most unique in all of America. It’s very important to instill a local flavor in any restaurant, corporate or otherwise. We now have local art, we purchase local produce, and we now serve local beer on tap. But what’s important to remember is that we have over seventy local employees who support their seventy local families with their employment at O’Charley’s. You can’t get more local than that.

RRM: What changes have you already implemented and what are the results?

SH: We have a new menu that has been improved approximately 30%. There are new entrees, appetizers, and specialty drinks. Plus, we run a different bar special Mondays through Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

RRM: Over the years you have turned many failing restaurants around, or made successful ones even more successful — what has been the key to your success in doing so?

SH: They key to success is not me, but the people who actually do the work. I stand on the shoulders of my managers and employees. We sell food, but we are in the people business. You must create an environment where people feel valued and nurtured. I feel that I’ve just been an enthusiastic spectator to my staff’s success.

RRM: O’Charley’s has just come out with a new menu. What are some of the new entrées that you are most excited about?

SH: I love the chicken potpie. The crust is unbelievable, and it’s only $9.99. The pot roast is fork-tender, but I’m really crazy about our fried pickle chips with Old Bay mayonnaise.

O’Charley’s
2 Kenilworth Knolls, Asheville, NC 28805
(828) 281-0540, www.ocharleys.com