The food scene in downtown Boone has long been a source of pride for the town. As Boone has been rocked by major changes such as the population growth of the town, the rapid growth of App State and the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants in Boone have had to adapt.
“The size of the college has grown tremendously,” said Michael Bosse, the manager at Macado’s, a chain restaurant based in Salem, Virginia, that opened a location on King Street in 1989. “The city has to grow where the college grows.”
According to the school’s fact book archive, the 2000-01 academic year hosted an undergraduate population at App State of 12,499. In the 2024-25 academic year, it was 21,570. This 72.6% increase was motivated by initiatives for strategic planning and resource investment by App State to increase enrollment from underrepresented communities and hold high retention rates.
As App State has grown, its student population has flocked to King Street for weekend outings with friends and a change of pace from the dining halls. For the most part, business on King Street has kept up. However, there have been some issues.
“The lack of parking for people coming into town has been a problem,” Bosse said. “Students from ASU have been parking downtown more and more.”
King Street was built to serve as a modest, two-way downtown road with areas for parallel parking on each side. Today, the traffic on the road can be heavy, especially during rush hour and tourist season in the fall. In spite of the traffic, business on King Street has kept up.
“We haven’t been hurt much,” Bosse said. “We’re still busy.”
One way Macado’s adapted is by having their employees work more hours with longer breaks. This lets them keep serving big crowds whenever it’s needed.
Another obstacle for restaurants in Boone was the COVID-19 pandemic and the supply chain crisis that resulted. Jeshua Jolly, the chocolatier at Venture Chocolate and Wine Co., experienced this firsthand.
“We were supposed to open in 2021 but construction got held up,” Jolly said. “The work of opening this place was wild, there was lots to do. That’s normal for any new business.”
Jolly described the delays as a blessing in disguise. The extra time gave him and the rest of the team at Venture the chance to make sure everything was set with their business and make extra preparations.
It also spared them from the prospect of opening during the period of COVID-19 restrictions, which would have made succeeding during their early days near impossible. When they opened in the summer of 2022, they quickly found their niche.
“Our goal is to create somewhere where people can feel welcome and eat delicious things,” Jolly explained. “We view ourselves as a gathering place or date spot. We’ve been hosting App alumni parties and we’re hosting our first wedding next year.”
Despite changes the recent years have delivered, Boone remains in many ways the same.
“Regardless of how big it’s gotten, Boone still has a small-town feel,” Bosse said. “It never feels cramped, and everyone still knows each other.”
Photo caption correction: The photo of the Venture Chocolate and Wine employees had a caption incorrectly stating the employees pictured were the owners. This has been fixed in the caption.
