ARDEN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A local brewpub is undergoing a major rebrand in south Asheville next month.
Voodoo Brewing Co. is a franchise brewpub located off of Sweeten Creek Road. On April 10, Voodoo will reopen as the rebranded and independently-owned The Flying Squirrel Pub.
“The short version of everything is we came to a mutual agreement with the franchise that we’re going to come out of our franchise agreement and we can remain open as an independent location,” said Flying Squirrel owner Bill Osborne. “Last day as Voodoo will be April the 6th. We’ll close for three days, do some painting and some construction, just touching up things, rebranding, putting the new signs up, taking the old signs down, so on, so forth.”
The new arrangement at Flying Squirrel will allow the restaurant to move many of its operations to new businesses.
In other words: “I can go more local,” Osborne declared.
Instead of carrying Voodoo beer, for instance, the pub will switch at least half a dozen taps to regional beers. Osborne is looking into partnering with local bakeries to supply Flying Squirrel with bread, and Annie B’s ice cream and Lusty Monk mustard will keep their staunch menu presence.
Flying Squirrel will also make a few changes to business based on suggestions from its regulars.
“One of the things we heard often was, I just wanna get a Miller Lite,” Osborne chuckled. “We’ll put a couple of those on because we’ve heard that from our regulars and tourists alike.”
Osborne has also paid close attention to keeping as much of his brewpub’s award-winning menu as possible. Voodoo won Best of Asheville awards for Bar Food, Bar/Pub, Chicken Wings, French Fries and New Restaurant in 2024.
“A lot of the terminologies will change,” Osborne explained. “But, the grand scheme, we’re not making major changes to the menu. We’ll still have the elevated pub fare.”
There will be a few menu tweaks here and there, Osborne said. The famous Voodoo pierogis, for instance, were taken off the menu when their maker went out of business after Hurricane Helene.
However, rest assured, Flying Squirrel’s most esoteric flourishes, such as the pickle pizza, will remain on the menu.
The interior decoration of Voodoo will be changing to reflect the brewpub’s new name. In lieu of skeletons, there will be squirrels. Instead of Mardi Gras vibes, there will be aviation in the air. The new mascot of Flying Squirrel isn’t named yet, but Osborne plans to take suggestions from the community on that front too.
Not all of the decorations will be flying off the walls.
“That’s Bianca. Marv’s up there on the wall. I actually forget this guy’s name, but he has a name, too,” Osborne said, gesturing to a few life-sized skeletons adorning the brewpub walls. “We may keep them and just dress them up a little differently, since people have come to know and love them enough that they’ve named them.”
Flying Squirrel is soaring toward opening day. Osborne is okay with that.
“Now that I’m talking about it, the excitement’s growing, and it’s growing with our regulars,” Osborne said. “So, it’s like, you know what? I’m glad we’re not dragging it out any longer. It’ll be a quick transition, but I think it’s going to be a good transition for everyone.”
For more information about Flying Squirrel or Voodoo, check out their website, asheville.voodoobrewery.com.