A pile of lumber and green wrap now marks the construction site at 567 Fairview Road in Asheville, where chef Jacob Sessoms is putting down roots for a second All Day Darling location. The market-focused neighborhood eatery, known for its counter-service breakfasts and southern hospitality, is expanding beyond its original Montford outpost into East Asheville's Oakley neighborhood.
All Day Darling shared the construction update on Instagram, and as reported by WhatNow, the team has not yet announced an opening date for the new spot. But according to Mountain Xpress, groundbreaking officially took place in March, with Sessoms targeting completion and an opening sometime in 2027. Sessoms and his team reportedly purchased the property about three years before that groundbreaking took place.
Adaptive Reuse Meets New Construction
The project is doing double duty architecturally. The outlet's reporting describes how the development will adapt a small existing building for back-of-house operations, while a new dedicated building goes up for the dining space itself, designed in partnership with architect Michael McDunnough.
Commercial permits listed by Realtor.com include excavation, grading, and HVAC work recorded since 2025. Property records cited by that listing show the lot previously sold in late 2021 for $410,000.
An Expanded Menu, With Beer, Wine, and Spirits
All Day Darling's original Montford location, at 102 Montford Avenue, has built its reputation on an all-day menu served seven days a week, filled with dishes like the standard breakfast sandwich, shakshuka, the Thunderbird, the Darling Burger, and the Rubenesque, alongside toasts, salads, bowls, and baked goods. Beverages there run from Counter Culture coffee and house tonics to smoothies, cocktails, draft wines, and craft beers.
The Oakley location will keep that daily counter-service model but expand on it, according to a report from the NCRLA. Plans call for an expanded dinner menu, additional bakery selections, and a full bar program covering beer, wine, and spirits — a step up from the original venue's emphasis on daytime casual fare.
Filling a Gap the USDA Flagged as a Food Desert
The Oakley neighborhood has long lacked a centralized commercial center or major sit-down dining options, a gap significant enough that the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated the area an urban food desert, according to a local context piece from real estate blogger Nate Kelly. Local community groups and farmers markets have previously tried to bridge that grocery and food gap, per Kelly's reporting, making a counter-service, market-driven restaurant on Fairview Road a notable addition for East Asheville residents.
Diners headed to the new location should expect to park on the street. Due to limited onsite parking at the Fairview Road parcel, patrons will rely on adjacent side streets, which Mountain Xpress notes aligns with broader municipal traffic-calming initiatives already underway to slow vehicle speeds through the residential corridor.
A Growing Hospitality Footprint
All Day Darling is part of Sessoms' Perfectly Ad Hoc Hospitality Group, which is associated with Table and Golden Hour at The Radical hotel, according to earlier Mountain Xpress reporting. The original All Day Darling launched in 2018 at its Montford address, per Kelly's account of the neighborhood's history.
Sessoms brings considerable industry credibility to the Oakley project. He opened his flagship restaurant Table in Asheville in 2005 and has since earned two James Beard Award nominations. In June 2025, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce named him a Small Business Leader of the Year alongside Perfectly Ad Hoc Hospitality partners Alicia Hill and Patrick Rumley, according to the chamber's own announcement.
The brand's original location also picked up national recognition recently. All Day Darling's Montford outpost was named a Recommended restaurant in the first-ever Michelin Guide selection for the American South, released in November 2025, as reported by WNC Business. Two other concepts from Sessoms were also included in that same guide.
