AIR Support

Sunny Point Cafe

Despite a delay caused by Hurricane Helene, AIR’s popular Passport is now available.

The Asheville Independent Restaurant association—a membership organization dedicated to supporting the area’s independent restaurant community through advocacy, education, marketing support, and events—had to delay their release of the wallet-sized card, explains AIR Executive Director Meghan Rogers. “We would normally solicit participation for the Passport in October and launch it in November to coincide with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday,” she notes. 

Because of Helene’s devastation on Asheville businesses, she was somewhat reluctant to approach them about participating in the Passport program, since there is a cost incurred. But as of January, more than 40 restaurants had signed up to participate, including Curate, Chai Pani, Posana, Lobster Trap, Vinnie's, Sunny Point, Limones, and Strada. 

Lobster Trap

For $75, the passport offers unique, specific deals at each participating restaurant. Some restaurants offer a different discount, she says, but the majority of the participants go with a BOGO offer. 

“The other advantage is that the Passport is a fundraiser for AIR, so proceeds support our work to uplift the local independent restaurant community,” Rogers explains.“It's also a great way to introduce our restaurants to a broader audience. We typically sell around 800 Passports a year, and also donate dozens to fellow nonprofits to use as prizes for fundraising events,” she says. “It’s a great way for locals and visitors to try restaurants they may not have known before and offers them an incentive to do so.”

This year’s Passport launched at the beginning of March, the date nearing AIR’s signature culinary event, Taste of Asheville, on Thursday, April 3. Taste of Asheville is held annually at A-B Tech, and dozens of participating restaurants showcase tantalizing bites and sips buffet-style. Passports can be purchased online at AIR’s website.

Learn more - For more information on AIR, the Passport, and participating restaurants, visit airasheville.org